


Affections Across Time

by TiberiusPonificus



Category: The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Genre: Age Difference, Childhood Friends, Childhood Sweethearts, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-18
Updated: 2014-04-25
Packaged: 2017-12-12 05:44:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/807965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiberiusPonificus/pseuds/TiberiusPonificus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of short stories about people with chrono displacement disorder, and the ones who care for them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Phillip and Abigail (1)

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've written in years, so I'm not sure how well this will be received. I loved "The Time Traveler's Wife", but felt that the concept of CD could be explored more with some twist-ups here and there. That said, all of the characters involved in these stories are in no way related to the characters of TTW, save for the fact they also have chrono displacement disorder. I hope I'm not breaking any rules with that. 
> 
> Enjoy!

(Phillip and Abigail: both 7)

 

“Stop looking at the ground so much.” 

 

The adults would always tell him that. It was hard not to when every boy on the play ground would give him trouble if they thought he was looking at them. As long as he just kept to himself and didn’t give them any reason to bother him, he could be safe. In the lightest sense of the word, anyway. He still couldn’t figure out why they bothered him. Was it because he wasn’t interested in their roughhousing? Were they jealous of his pretty brown curls (his mother’s words, not his)? Either way, it didn’t matter to him; they would’ve just found another reason to tease him.

 

He found real safety in his home. It was only a couple blocks away, so he could just walk there after school. Every other kid would be picked up in their parents’ cars, and they were excited to get home, so they would be too distracted to bother him. That was quite fine with him; he preferred the quiet of the neighborhood once he was out of distance of the school. The familiar look of the trees in the neighbor’s yard was the signal he was almost home. He picked up the pace a little, almost as if he expected the house to run away from him. But it was there, sure enough: The off-yellow spackle-like walls, the big red stairs, and the wooden door. Taking out the keys his parents trusted him with (they both worked, and his sister came home not too soon after to look after him), he walked into the house and closed the door.

 

His home was definitely his safe haven. It was something reliable, something calming, and something that he knew he could simply go to, and it would all be there: The couch that’s seen better days, the dining table that looks way too nice for the house (it was a Christmas present), and the family pictures on top of the TV. He walked calmly through the familiar hallway, past his parent’s room, his sister’s door, and finally, to his room right next to the bathroom. Walking in, he tossed his backpack to the bed, and closed the door behind him.

 

At least…he thought he closed the door. He didn’t hear it close, so he thought he must not have put enough force into it. He turned around to close it again…only to find it gone, replaced by a wall further away than the door was, and the sight of a roof of another house past it. He was in a backyard! He was definitely surprised at this, and took a step back, feeling grass on his bare feet. Where did my shoes go? He thought, looking down, only to find another surprise. Where are my clothes?

 

This is not where he expected his day to go. He was indeed lost. He was lost and stark naked in a stranger’s backyard. He immediately covered himself with his hands, even though there was no one else around. 

 

Trying to keep calm, he took a look around himself. There was a large tree to his left, and a small garden along the bottom of the wall. It was quiet, and it felt warm enough to be the middle of the day, not that that mattered to him at the moment. Looking behind him, he saw a patio, complete with a wooden table and chairs. Beyond that, he found a sliding glass door. Walking up to the door, as awkwardly as walking while covering your privates would allow, he tried to slide open the door, only to find it locked. Just as he thought what else could happen, he heard something he was afraid he’d hear: The sound of something moving behind him.

 

He quickly turned around. There was no one there. Now he started to think he was going crazy. Finding yourself in a situation like this can lead one to such a conclusion.

 

“Hello?” He tried calling out. When no response came, he sighed and thought to himself that it must have been the wind. He did have reason to be scared, but it didn’t mean he should be jumping at everything that moves, he told himself. He jumped with a whimper when the sound of movement startled him again. A couple of bushes along the right wall of the yard rustled when the noise was made, so it had to come from there. At best, it was probably a neighbor’s cat or an ugly possum at worst. Either way, he felt he couldn’t just stand there. While he was frightful, his mother always convinced him to explore things that scared him so that he wouldn’t be scared of it anymore. This sparked curiosity in him, which urged him to look into the bushes.

 

Stepping carefully to avoid making noise, he approached the last bush that moved. He couldn’t tell what was in it, forcing him to look closer. He was about to move his hands to push the bushes apart to get a better look, when something came out of them so suddenly, it scared the boy enough to send him on his back.

 

He sat back up and rubbed his head, shaking the loose grass out of his hair. When his head cleared, he opened his eyes to a curious sight. A girl, appearing to be about his age, was standing over him. She had straight black hair that reached past her shoulders and big green eyes. Curious was that he’d never seen anyone with such bright green eyes. Even more curious was that this girl didn't have a stitch of clothing on her, just like him.

 

“I’m sorry.” She said. “I didn't mean to scare you.”  Her voice was soft and gentle. She bent down so that her knees were to her chest and she was at eye level with him. “What’s your name?”

 

“Phillip” He said. “My name’s Phillip.”

 

“I’m Abigail.” She responded. 

 

Phillip noticed she wasn’t exactly looking at his face. Following the path of her eyes took, she was actually looking lower. He covered himself again quickly when he realized where she was looking. “What are you looking at?”

 

Abigail’s turned her head to face him. “I’ve never seen a boy naked before. Can I see it again?” 

 

“Why?”

“I want to look at it more. You can look at me if you want it to be fair.” She stood up and raised her hands high above her head, still with a smile on her face. “See?”

 

Phillip turned his flushed face away. “I used to take baths with my sister, so I already know what’s there.”

 

“Aww! That’s not fair!” Abigail shook her fists. “I really wanted to look.” She blinked, as if she got an idea, and then asked, “If I help you inside this house, would you let me see it?”

 

He was now at her mercy. It was either stay out here while she uses some secret to get into the house that she likely won’t share if he refuses, or suffer embarrassment while she looks at him like some weird art exhibit. Of course, this was all going by assumptions and he could be completely wrong, but he learned to be cautious of strangers for as long as other kids have bullied him. 

 

Despite his paranoia, however, looking at her face, with her bright eyes and gentle smile, he couldn’t find any kind of ill will in them. Maybe she was just honestly curious. He told himself that he had nothing more to lose and anything was better than staying outside naked. “Fine.” He finally answered.

 

“Yay!” Abigail jumped up in joy while Phillip stood up, still with at least one hand between his legs. “Let me see!” She said, trying to pry his hand away.

 

“Not until we’re inside.” Phillip had seen enough movies and shows on television to know how to make a deal.

 

“Promise?” “Yes, I promise. Can we go inside now? It’s getting hot out here.”

 

Abigail quickly ran over to the sliding glass door with Phillip trailing after her. “This is my aunt’s house. She always leaves a key right here.” She picked up one of the small potted plants on the back porch, revealing a key for a door. She promptly unlocked the door, and put the key back under the pot. "If you ever end up here again, you can use this.”

 

“What do you mean, ‘end up here again’?” Phillip asked as they walked in. “How did I get here in the first place? And why are we naked?” His patience was wearing thin.

 

“Oh!” Abigail looked like she just realized something. “Oh my gosh! Is this your first time traveling?”

 

“Time traveling?” He asked, with an air of disbelief. Any explanation might have made sense. A dream. Aliens. Anything. But time travel? That was one he didn’t expect.

 

“Yup. Time traveling.” She answered. “We can’t really control it, though. So you could be at home or school and then suddenly be somewhere else the next.”

“What about my clothes? What happened to them?” 

 

“They’re probably right where you left them. Wherever you were before you got here. You weren’t outside, were you?”

 

Phillip shook his head. “I was at my house.”

“Oh, good. I’d hate for them to be gone when you get back.”

 

“I can go back? How do I get back from here?”

 

“It just happens. You could be here for a few minutes or even an hour. It’s different every time.”

 

“Great. I’m stuck in a house in the middle of nowhere and I don’t even know how long I’m gonna be here…” Phillip sighed.

 

“Don’t be sad. You’re here with an expert.” Abigail pointed her thumb to her chest. “Now, didn’t you promise me something?”

 

“Okay.” Phillip groaned. He was hoping she forgot. Reluctantly, his hands released their hold from between his legs.

 

“Put your arms up so I know where they are!” She demanded. She knew what she wanted, and she wasn’t going to have it any other way.

 

“Just don’t tickle me…” Phillip fell for this trick before with his relatives. She proceeded to examine his waist very intently, comparing his body with her own over and over, like someone looking over a crossword puzzle. Phillip wasn’t sure what the big deal was about. He wondered to himself just why she was so interested, when she got extremely close, causing him to blush. Before she could explore any further, he decided he needed to get on a different topic. “If we really did time travel, what year is this?”

 

“Well, there’s a calendar in the kitchen. We can find out there.” Abigail took Phillip's hand and began walking deeper into the house. They walked past what looked like a dining room, or at least a table. It was so clean, and the chairs were so nice, he wondered if it was used at all. At the next doorway, Abigail turned, still holding his hand, causing a bit of tugging since Phillip was distracted.

 

This was the kitchen, and for such a nice looking house, the kitchen was...fairly modest. The wooden floor was noticeably cold on his feet in comparison to the carpeted floors everywhere else in the house. The stove didn't look very state-of-the-art; it had to be at least older than he was. The fridge looked out of place, a sleek and metallic design in the middle of all the old-fashioned tools that adorned the counters. They still looked they had been used many times. 

 

“The calendar’s right here.” Abigail pointed to the basic calendar attached to the fridge. “Let’s see…a-ha! We traveled to June of last year! No wonder it was so hot. It was January when I traveled.”

 

“Really?” That didn’t sound right to Phillip. “But this is next year.”

 

“Oh? How old are you?”

 

“Seven.”

 

She smiled. “Me too! So I guess that makes you older.”

 

“I guess?” Phillip wasn’t sure how to respond to the fact that he was older, even though they were the same age here.

 

“It’s kind of funny.” Abigail giggled. “You’re the older one, but I’m the one teaching you.”

 

“How do you know so much about this time travel stuff? Have you done it before?”

 

“Yup! I’ve done this about three or four times.” She answered. “Older me taught me a lot more, though.”

 

Phillip blinked. “Did you just say older you?”

 

“Yeah. If we can time travel, then that means the older ones of us can go to the past to see us.” She answered as if it was the simplest thing.

 

“Oh. Okay.” Phillip just decided to accept that idea. “What do we do now?”

 

"Well, it doesn’t look like anyone’s home, so we can just hang out in my cousin’s room. Come on." She motioned for Phillip to follow him, and off they went again, this time walking towards the back of the house, turning to a small hallway Phillip didn't notice the first time. There were only a couple of rooms in this hall, and Phillip could see that one of them was the bathroom, the other door closed. She kept walking towards a staircase at the other end of the hall. "It's just up here."

 

Phillip followed closely, holding onto the rail, as the only light being let in was a window at the top of the stairs. Abigail hurried up the steps, taking two steps at a time for some strides. Phillip had no choice but to quicken his pace just to keep up.

 

Finally, they reached the top and into a room that looked like it belonged to a teenage boy. The bed was big, and sports memorabilia adorned the walls. At one of the walls was a large wooden dresser, on top of which were displayed a couple of trophies for baseball, indicating he was a part of a team at his school. 

 

“What do we do here?” Phillip asked.

 

“We can play with his game system, and he’s got big shirts we can wear.” She opened the bottom drawer and tossed a shirt to Phillip. Putting it on quickly, Phillip found it big enough to cover everything important. He looked up to see Abigail in a shirt that was just as big.

 

“So, you said you met yourself from the future?” He asked.

 

A smile graced her face again. "Mm-hmm. She's traveled to my time once or twice. She's really pretty."

 

"I don't know how you're more pretty in the future..." Phillip said and quickly regretted, putting his hand over his mouth.

 

For the first time, Abigail blushed. Being butt naked with a boy didn't make her blush, but this did? Phillip thought. "You think I'm pretty?" She asked after a moment of silence.

 

"Well...yeah." He couldn't lie to save his life (his mother saw to that), and there certainly wasn't much he could do at this point. "A lot of girls at school just look at me and start giggling. I don't get it, but I know it's nothing good." "Why not?"

 

"Well, don't you laugh at someone when you're making fun of them?" Phillip's only other experience was with the other boys laughing at him.

 

"Maybe, or maybe they think you're cute."

 

It was Phillip's turn to blush. "Cute?!" He soured his face. "You're just making fun of me."

 

"I am not." Abigail insisted. "I never thought I was pretty. My mom says it all the time, but she's my mom. She's supposed to do that." She looked down at her feet. "Pretty is nice hair and nice clothes. The girls at school all have their hair done up in knots or pigtails or braids, and they have such nice dresses. I used to have my hair up like that, but one time I traveled, and lost my mom's favorite pin. After that, she thought it would be better if I just had my hair combed, and I only get old shirts and pants from my other cousins, because it's okay if those get dirty when they fall on the floor." She said that last part as if she was quoting her mother. She stepped up close to Phillip. "But not only have I met someone who can time travel like me, you think I'm pretty."

 

"You didn't laugh at me, even though I was naked and looking like a total dummy." Phillip responded. "Mom calls me cute too, and she thinks the other boys push me around because they're jealous. I hope this doesn't happen in front of them. I'd have to move if that ever happened." He looked down, took a breath, and looked back up. "Thanks...for helping me."

 

Abigail shook her head. "I oughta thank you. In fact..." She moved forward quicker than Phillip could react and gave him a kiss straight on his lips. A tingly feeling was felt all over Phillip's body as he reeled and fell backwards...right on top of his bed.

 

Feeling the springs of his mattress, Phillip shot upright. His head darted back and forth, seeing the familiar walls of his room. Realizing where he was, he started breathing again. Was all that a dream? He wondered, but two signs told him otherwise. The first was that he was completely naked again, and he could see where he was standing when he traveled, shown by his clothes in a heap near the closed bedroom door. The second was the feeling of the girl's lips on his, still lingering in his memory as if it happened a long time ago. Replaying everything in his head, he put his clothes back on, and proceeded to do his homework, albeit quite distracted.

 

That night at dinner, his mother couldn't help but notice that her son looked a little more active than he had been in the past few days, quickly stepping up to get his food rather than slowly dragging his feet. "Somebody looks like they had a good day." She said. "Did we make a friend today?"

Not being able to lie, and with a big smile on his face, Phillip only answered, "Yeah."


	2. Nicholas and Connie (1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is another story I cooked up as part of this little series. I've still got other stories, but if anyone has suggestions of a type of pairing or situation they'd like to see, don't be afraid to leave that in the comments. Hope all who read this enjoy it.

(Nicholas is 22, Connie is 9)

 

People like to ask Nicholas about the duffel bag. He carries it around with him all the time, and he's not on a sports team at the college, so it's obvious that people would ask about it. Depending on his mood, he'll give you a different answer: If he's feeling like being funny, he'll tell you "bowling balls" or "This is where I keep the bodies." Sometimes, he'll feel like giving a long drawn out explanation in hopes you'll leave him alone. If he's in a hurry or just doesn't feel like entertaining, he'll just say, "I help my cousin with his soccer team", and move on. But the people in his classes have gotten used to the sight of it, and they just accept that it's something he has, which suits Nicholas just fine.

 

Today was a test day, and that meant that he could just hang out at the campus for the time he had left until his next class. As usual, Nicholas was one of the first people to complete his test, and as he gathered up his duffel bag and slipped on his backpack, he was feeling pretty good about the answers he put down. If not an "A", he was the kind of person who would be satisfied with a solid "B". Walking down the halls of the 5th floor of the Humanities building, it was very quiet. Quiet enough to hear his own footsteps. It was also quiet enough to hear something else.

 

pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat-pat

 

Nicholas knew that sound. It was the distinctive sound of bare feet running across tile. He also knew what that meant. Standing still for a moment, he listened closely where it was coming from. Just around the corner, to the left. Walking carefully enough to make as little noise as possible, he got to the corner of the hall, poked his head out from the wall. "Psst." He started whispering. "Connie. Connie! It's me!"

 

After a few seconds, he saw from behind one of the columns against the wall a small head poke out. Just as he thought. The unmistakable blonde curls attached to an angelic face. Younger than he had expected, but that wasn't something out of the ordinary, or even something that either of them could help. Once she saw his face, she lit up like it was Christmas morning. He guessed that she hadn't been here before and was feeling very scared. "Nicky!" She cried, coming out from behind the column and covering herself with her hands. "I'm glad you're here."

 

"Hey there, Connie." Nicholas held his arms out and scooped her up. "You haven't been here long, have you?" She shook her head. "Good. Let's get going." He started to walk again.

 

"Um...Nick?" Connie spoke up.

 

"What's up?" Nicholas set her back down.

 

"Can I get dressed now, please?" She swung her shoulders back and forth, her hands behind her back.

 

Nicholas was always one to rush and forget certain details until they were right in his face, and he was lucky to notice them without someone telling him. But since Connie interjected, he was able to snap out of his tunnel vision and absorb the environment. There was absolutely nobody else in the halls, and any class that was in session had its door closed. It was a warm midday in May, so he didn't have a jacket to lend her. He certainly couldn't leave things to chance, so he nodded and said nervously, "Yeah. Sorry." He put down the duffel bag and went into action.

 

Unzipping the duffel bag revealed numerous sets of clothes. He had sets of clothes prepared for Connie at different ages. There were dresses for a little girl, shirts and shorts for a teenager, underwear for both sizes, and small clothes and diapers for if she ever came as an infant. Quickly pulling out her clothes, he helped her into a pair of underwear, a light blue dress and a pair of sandals. With her properly dressed, Nick grabbed her hand and led her to the elevators.

 

Apparently one of her friends from school came over and had brought a game that they told Connie was not scary at all. "Last time I believe him! All of a sudden, this monster breaks through the door, and I found myself on the floor of the bathroom here. They're so gross! If I find him going through my clothes when I get back..."

 

A guy walking around the college campus holding a little girl's hand was not something surprising. Students, depending on how old they were, brought their kids to school all the time. Passing her off as his little cousin was easy, so long as he didn't come across anyone who had seen her as either younger or older than she appeared now. Connie knew that it was okay to lie to them, since the idea of a chrono displaced person still hadn't reached the wide net of the public mind, and a cousin coming along with one to school was easier to believe than a little girl who spontaneously time travels.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Taking care of Connie has not been something Nicholas regretted ever since she first appeared to him. He couldn't tell you the reason why she came to him, but he's sure there's some significance to her constant appearances, and it just hasn't come up yet. Thus far, he only sees her when she travels, popping in at different points, convenient at some times and somewhat inconvenient at others. Nicholas was always gifted with the patience of a saint, his mother would say, which made him appear very friendly to others, and it's something that's really helped Connie whenever she freaked out after traveling. As far as Connie's known, he's always been there to help with a firm hug, and a bag of clothes for her to wear.

 

The first time they met each other, Nicholas was another 15 year old boy desperately seeking purpose in life. He was escorting his mother around the local store one weekend in April, since she promised him she'd buy him a new game by the time they were done. This required, of course, a trip with his mother, something any 15 year old boy is embarrassed to do. She didn't tell him that he'd get it right away, so having to stand around while his mother looked at shirt after shirt before putting them back on the rack got tiring after a few minutes. After telling her that he'd go on ahead to electronics to mull his options, he began walking out of the clothing section and was some distance away from his mother when he began to hear something.

 

Sniffling, and short gasps of breath, as if someone was crying. While other boys his age would dismiss it and keep going, Nicholas was the curious sort. He looked around where he stood, trying to track down the noise, but couldn't seem to find where it was coming from. It wasn't anyone near the wall, and he wouldn't be hearing it if it was coming from the dressing rooms. Then, an idea struck him. He came to a part of the section littered with circular racks full of large shirts. Now the crying noises started coming in clearer, particularly the one in the middle. Moving closer to it slowly and quietly, he divided a part in the shirts just as slowly.

 

That's when he saw her; A little girl, sitting down on the floor, curled up and completely naked. Her hair was a short curly blonde, and she looked like she had been crying for some time, her face red and soaked with tears. Many questions were running through his head: Whose kid is this? Why is she naked? And most importantly, how did no one else notice she was here? He was hoping she'd tell him, but he had to get somewhere else first; talking to a lost and distraught little girl with no clothes on required privacy. When she finally noticed him standing over her, her eyes went wide and ready to run. "Wait. Calm down." He whispered to her when he saw her getting up. "I'm not gonna hurt you." He took off the jacket he was wearing and placed it over her shoulders like a cloak. "See? Let's get you somewhere better."

 

Putting one arm around her shoulders and picking her up with the other, he moved stealthily through the racks on his way to the dressing rooms that weren't too far from where they were. He only got a couple of looks from people, but that was more likely for him looking like he was in some sort of spy movie than it was for the barefoot girl in the jacket. No questions either, which was also nice. Passing the doorway for the dressing rooms, a sign stated that any dressing rooms not in use needed to be kept open. Nicholas already knew this, and darted to the closest open door. Placing her on the seat inside, he quickly turned to close and lock the door.

 

"All right. Hard part's over." He thought out loud. "You okay?" A small "Mm-hmm" was all she could muster. "My name's Nicholas. How about you? What's your name?" He spoke a little fast, body full of adrenaline from the unusual situation before him.

 

"Connie."

 

"Connie. That's a cute name." He thought that complimenting her would help calm her down a little more. "So what happened to you? Where are your clothes?"

 

"I don't know." She gave a straightforward response, but it wasn’t exactly an answer.

 

"Okay. Where are your parents?"

 

"I don't know." Now, it was getting weird, and asking her about things she didn't know the answer to was not making the situation any easier. She brought her legs up to the seat and curled up, ready to start crying again.

 

"Okay, okay. Don't cry. I'm sorry." He didn't know what he was apologizing for, but it seemed to help, as she looked up at him. He scratched his head as he tried to think of what could possibly lead to a girl being stranded in the middle of a huge store stark naked. Was she abandoned here by her parents? Did she wander off and get lost in the middle of changing clothes? Is she a victim of some kidnapping ring? Nicholas' imagination was starting to run wild, and at that point, he decided that the best thing to do would be to get her something to wear other than his jacket. "Listen. I want you to stay right here, I'm gonna go out and get you some clothes. Don't open this door for anyone but me. I'll tell you when it's me, okay?" Connie responded by nodding her head.

 

Being near the clothing section of the store was rather convenient to find something Connie could wear. A large shirt would've been enough if they were anywhere else, but if he was going to help her find her parents, she would need something a little more inconspicuous. First thing on his list was to get her some underwear. She looked to be about five, so he wouldn't need to go too far. He didn't need to dart around people this time, but he still needed to quicken his pace. He was in Women's Clothes, and he needed to get to the young girl's section.

 

Judging from all the pink on the stands, Nicholas had reached the section he needed. However, the fact that he was acting without thinking thoroughly had finally caught up to him when he got to the underwear: They were all in 4-pair packages. He only needed one pair, but he couldn't just tear open one of them to get it. He'd be caught for sure, and how would he be able to explain the situation? He considered just taking the package and leaving the torn plastic in the dressing room. Act as if someone else just took it. Listen to yourself, Nick! He thought. You're thinking about stealing! He didn't have the time for a moral decision. He trusted that Connie would stay in the stall, but any number of things could happen in the time it took him to find something.

 

He paced about scratching his head, trying to think of an alternate plan when he happened upon one. A couple of stands away stood a rack of one-piece swimsuits, supported on hangers. Grabbing a purple swimsuit, the most difficult hurdle was jumped. From there, he quickly grabbed a blue skirt and a small white shirt before running as quickly as he could to Shoes to pick up a pair of sandals. Seeing someone running in a store isn't that unusual, which Nicholas was thankful for, because it meant that no one would ask questions and he could get back to the dressing room with no more interruptions.

 

"Connie, it's Nicholas." He knocked on the door to the stall. "Could you open the door?" It took a couple of seconds, but the door opened outwards to show Connie, now with the jacket zipped up and her arms through the sleeves. "Hey there. How are we doing?" She nodded, the red from her face finally fading as she had stopped crying. "You're doing great, sweetie. Now let's get you dressed." Connie was very cooperative as Nicholas slipped on everything he managed to find. "Sorry if the tags are bugging you, but we'll get in trouble if we take those off without paying. It's better than going around in your birthday suit, right?" Connie looked slightly confused at the term, apparently never having heard it before. Nicholas paid it no mind and offered his hand to her.

 

Nicholas felt that he could breathe a little easier now, but he knew that he was only through half of his troubles for the day. Taking a firm hold of Connie's hand, they began walking through the store to look for anyone that Connie might recognize. It was then that she noticed something unusual. She began looking in one direction, towards the door that lead to the Nursery. "What's the matter?" Nicholas asked. "You think your mom or dad might be there?" Her question, however, was one that Nicholas didn't see coming at all.

 

"Why is the sun back out?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"It's close to bedtime. That means the moon's out. Why is it sunny?"

 

"Connie...it's 3:30. It's practically the middle of the day."

 

"What? But..." She looked very confused, and so was Nicholas. What did she mean by "It's close to bedtime"? That would mean that it was nighttime the last time she got a look outside. Did that mean that she really was kidnapped in her sleep? What was he getting himself into? He tried not to look too worried for her sake, and she seemed quite preoccupied with this new information, so he thought it would be better to keep looking around.

 

It had been half an hour before they finally came back around to Women's Clothing. He still didn't understand what she meant by the fact that it was evening the last time she checked. Connie was getting very restless as well, and Nicholas wondered how much longer they would be able to look before his mother called his phone, asking where he was. Then, it finally hit him. This whole time, he was looking by himself. If his mother could help, maybe they could find her parents sooner. He got Connie to stand up and began walking through the different racks, hoping his mother was still there. Sure enough, she was still nose-deep in the sales rack.

 

“Nicky!” She responded upon seeing him. “I was just about to go to Electronics, and...” She looked down. “Who's this? Are those store tags?”

 

“Mom, if you'll just give me a moment to talk, I promise everything I'm going to tell you will be true.”

 

After giving as shortened a version of the past events as he could, his mother just looked at him as if he was a parent explaining where babies come from. “Why didn't you just go to the front desk or one of the cashiers?” She finally asked. “They could use the PA system and see if anyone's lost their kid.”

 

“I was worried I'd get in trouble if I came up to them and they saw the tags. If not that, they'd wonder what I was doing with a little girl in only a jacket. If they suspected something, they might have the whole place locked down!” His mother shot him the same look she usually does whenever he blows something out of proportion, to which Nicholas responded by keeping his tone down. “I just wanted to help her as quietly as possible.”

 

“Well, better you came to me than to continue trying half-cocked.” His mother said. “I'm sure they'd be more willing to believe me if I just explain that I found her in one of the dressing rooms. Now come on, sweet...” She kneeled down and paused suddenly. “Where'd she go?”

 

It was then that Nicholas noticed that he wasn't holding Connie's hand anymore. Looking next to him, he found all the clothes that he got for Connie, but no Connie wearing them. After arguing on what happened as silently as possible, so as not to disturb the other shoppers, they both try to write it off as one of the strangest events they'd ever witnessed.

 

That night, he decided to look up just what might have been that little girl. Running a search “sudden disappearance” “time discrepancy” and “lack of clothes”, he finally ran into an article from a “strange science” website regarding what came to be known as “Chrono Displacement Disorder”.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

There's been some research done since then, but no treatment has been made yet. Regardless, Nicholas has learned to adapt to Connie's sudden appearances, the duffle bag full of clothes for one thing. There's also been support from others, like his parents, and those who have stuck with him since finding out about Connie. People like...

 

“Mike!” Nicholas shouted when he saw another familiar face at one of the food courts on campus, saving a table for the both of them just like he said he would.

 

“Done with the test already, Nick?” Michael smiled. “Did you double check your answers?”

“Yes, Mother.” Nicholas joked. “It's a good thing I finished when I did, too. She showed up on the same floor, if you can believe that. She wasn't there too long before I noticed her, though.”

 

“Hey, Connie.” Michael greeted her. “Last time I saw you, you were about this high.” He raised his hand up to about Nicholas' nose.

 

Connie and Nicholas both rolled their eyes. “When are you gonna stop making that joke?” Nicholas asked.

 

“When you stop reacting to it.” Michael stood up and gave Nicholas a kiss. “Besides, you shouldn't act like it was never funny.”

 

Nicholas gave a sour face, but then smiled. “Okay, but it was only funny the first three times. And that's only because you switched it up last time.”

 

“I'll take that victory.” He sat back down at the table, along with Connie and Nicholas. Connie had a club sandwich from the school cafe, while Nicholas and Michael helped themselves to burgers from another joint. After eating, Connie busied herself playing on Michael's handheld system while Nicholas and Michael had time to themselves before either of them had another class.  

 

Eventually, 45 minutes passed, and it was time for Nicholas' next class. After packing up their stuff, Michael saw them off while Nicholas held Connie's hand and started walking towards the Science building. Connie started to get drowsy halfway through, so Nicholas elected to carry her the rest of the way. Nicholas knew what it meant when she started to get sleepy, so before going into the building itself, he stopped at one of its walls and sat against it. As soon as her breathing relaxed, she vanished, leaving her clothes in his lap. Smiling with relief, Nicholas packed the clothes back into the duffel bag, stood up and proceeded with the rest of the school day.

 

People often asked him about the bag. Nicholas wishes he can tell them that it's for someone else, but it's enough to know there are people who know and don't mind. As long as they're there, he was happy. As long as Connie can come to someone as dependable as him, he could always sprout a little joy in his heart whenever he sees her. That was all he needed.

 


	3. Five Souls (1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit of a doozy, featuring a total of five dfferent time travelers. A bit ambitious, but I like to challenge myself. Enjoy!

It felt like such a small sensation. So small, he barely noticed it. It was the kind of sensation you feel when you believe you remember something. When your brain can't help but reset itself and you suddenly have a clear mind. It was almost the feeling of deja-vu, or the kind of clarity felt when waking up from a dream. It certainly felt like he woke up from a dream. His chest was pounding, and he found himself breathing heavily, like he finally surfaced to take a breath out of the water. He wasn't swimming, however, and he was sure he wasn't dreaming before he found himself where he is now.

 

The little boy looked around himself. The ceiling was so high and made with wooden boards. The walls were decorated with paintings, a mounted shield with two swords behind it. There was a table with intricate wooden legs polished to look like they were shining. A large television lay inside a larger cabinet. He then noticed he was lying on a rug with a design featuring curved lines overlapping each other to create an amazing picture. Wherever he was, this place was a palace in comparison to his own home. But that begged the question: Why was he here?

 

He slowly got himself upright and tried calling out for his mother and father. No response was heard. He was becoming frightened, as the realization that he might be stuck here began to sink in. It wasn't a bad place to be, but it wasn't his home. It wasn't where all his toys and games were. It wasn't where his parents were. Standing around crying about the situation wasn't going to help him. Perhaps there was someone inside this spacious home who could help him.

 

He began his journey by going through the nearest doorway, which turned out to be the foyer. Here, a staircase nearly encircled the room leading up to the house's second floor. The stairs themselves were covered by a blue carpet, kept to the steps with brass bars. Other than more rugs, a small table with a vase of flowers in it, and the door that looked like it led outside, there wasn't much else that gave him any clues. He thought to open the door and look outside to give him an idea of where he was, when he passed by a mirror next to the door. His reflection passing by it was what called his attention to it, and he would have paid it no mind, if he didn't notice he wasn't wearing any clothes.

 

The boy froze. The mirror wasn't tricking him as he looked down on himself. His short blonde hair and every other feature on his body was correct, but he was no longer wearing his T-shirt and pajama bottoms that he knew he had. He was wearing them because he didn't feel well that morning, and his mother thought it best to let him stay home. Discovering this, he thought it was better to stay inside the house and find something to wear.

 

He started walking through the doorway to his right, passing by a lavish dining room, through another passageway that led into the kitchen. Still no people to be found, he was beginning to wonder if anyone lived here. He was only six, so the idea of a house with many things in it but no people living there sounded like it made sense. Everything in the kitchen looked way too delicate to touch, and his parents always warned him about touching things that might break easily, so he refrained from doing anything and thought to continue his search. When...

 

A sudden noise coming from his right immediately caught his attention. Like the sound of someone moaning. Or something. Moving slowly and carefully, he found that the noise was coming from the bathroom, as he could tell from the picture of the toilet on the nearly closed door.

 

Once he came to the door, the noises stopped. In their place, he heard a slight shuffling. Whatever or whoever was in there, he wasn't going to find out unless he opened the door. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

 

The bathroom looked as nice as the rest of the house. Old fashioned everything, from the wallpaper to the sink and the mirror. But his attention wasn't on the decor. It was on the woman lying on the floor of the bathroom. She had long chestnut hair that reached the middle of her back. She was definitely older than he was, probably around the age of his cousins who were away at college. He couldn’t glean any other details from her, other than that for some reason she was lying on the floor completely naked. The boy had to make sure she was also alive. If she was, maybe she could tell him where he was and how to get out.

 

He stepped carefully towards the woman’s body, taking in the view. He didn't have any siblings, so seeing a naked young woman was definitely a new experience for him. He was tempted to touch any part that looked foreign to him, but his parents had been teaching him the importance of manners lately, especially when it came to girls.

 

Bracing himself for anything for a few seconds, he gently shook the women by her shoulder. To his relief, she began to stir awake. She opened her eyes, the color of coffee, and began to get up, groaning a little, like she had just been napping.

 

"Shoot.” She grumbled after looking around. “I must’ve gone right before I got to bed.” She then noticed the boy looking at her. She blinked a couple of times, narrowed her eyes, and then brought out a bright smile. “Brian? Is that you, Brian?”

 

The boy took a step back. “How do you know my name?” He had never met this woman before, so for her to know his name was incredibly frightening for him.

 

“Oh.” The woman brought her hand to her face, looking like she accidentally insulted him. “I guess we haven’t met yet.” She saw that he was clearly scared. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m Morgan. You can trust me.”

 

“Where am I?”

 

“Um…” Morgan looked. “I’m going to need to see more of this place. I can’t quite remember.” She stood up, revealing that Brian only came up her to her thighs. “But first, I should probably find something to wear. I don’t mind being like this, but if someone else is here, it’d be a problem with the both of us being naked.” Brian blushed at the reminder that he had no clothes on, to which Morgan only gave a short giggle.

 

Closing the bathroom door, Morgan found a long blue robe on a hook. “This is perfect for me.” She quickly slipped it on and tied the sash. “And we can use this for you.” She walked over to the other side of the bathroom and pulled a blue towel off from the bar. The towel covered his whole body as he held it like a shawl over his shoulders. 

 

"Ready?" Morgan asked. Brian nodded in response. “Up we go.” Carrying him in her arms, the two went off to the foyer. “Hmm…yeah, I do remember seeing this place. Whose house was this, again?” She scratched her head in irritation.

 

“Um…excuse me. Morgan?” Brian asked, finding his voice again.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Where did my clothes go?”

 

“Oh, I see.” Morgan said, looking like she finally got something. “Don’t worry about those. You were at home before you were here, right?” Brian nodded. “So you’ll get them back when you go back. You’re not stuck here forever, it’s okay.”

 

“What happened to me?”

 

“Well, you see, what happened is…” A sudden noise and the shouting of “Ow!” distracted the both of them. “Now who could that be?” Morgan looked to the left and started in that direction, with Brian in tow. The hallway to the left led into what appeared to be a study.

 

There were a couple of bookshelves against the walls stocked with very big books. The carpet was short and attached to the floor, as opposed to the rugs that were placed on the wooden floor in the rest of the house. On one edge of the room, was a large wooden desk, full of papers and pens scattered about the top. In the center was a boy, older than Brian but younger than Morgan, on his back. He had short brown hair, and like Brian and Morgan, had no clothes on at all.

 

"Are you okay?" Morgan asked the new boy, helping him stand up.

 

“Just once, I’d like to land on something soft when this happens.” He said. “Sorry for intruding…” He stopped in the middle of his sentence when he noticed who he was looking at. “M-Morgan? You’re here too?” His face flushed as he covered himself.

 

Morgan smiled. “Nice to see you too, Andrew. How old are you?”

 

“I’m sixteen.” The boy named Andrew. “What about you?”

 

“Twenty-two, and I’m doing well, thank you for asking.”

 

Andrew finally noticed Morgan holding Brian. “Who’s this?”

 

Morgan chuckled. “You don’t recognize him, Andrew? It’s Brian!”

 

“Brian?!” He answered, extremely surprised. Brian wasn’t sure if his reaction was a good one or a bad one, but Andrew’s shock caused him to huddle closer to Morgan. “Sorry, dude. Did I scare you? How old are you?”

 

“Six and a half…” Brian answered nervously.

 

“I think this is his first traveling.” Morgan added in a hushed tone.

 

“Oh. Well, aren’t you the lucky one? You get to be with us!” Andrew patted Brian lightly on the head. These two people were very weird to Brian, but they were helping him, so they couldn’t be that bad.

 

“Do you recognize this place?” Morgan asked. “It’s on the tip of my tongue, but it’s been a while since I was here last, so I forgot who it belongs to.”

 

“Hmm…” Andrew looked around the room. “Nope. First time I’m seeing all of this.”

 

“Shoot. Back to square one, then.” Morgan sighed. “The only thing to do now is keep looking around. Let’s get going.”

 

"Wait! Can I get something to wear first?" Andrew asked frantically.

 

“Oh, right.” Morgan laughed.

 

“Quit laughing!” Andrew shouted. “Just because you’re comfy being naked doesn’t mean the rest of us are.” Andrew’s attention changed to the coat rack in the corner behind Morgan. Skimming through the various coats and jackets, Andrew found something unusual. He pulled out a hanger, upon which hung a pajama set, a buttoned top and stringed bottoms. “What’s this doing here?”

 

“Someone probably hung it there on accident.” Morgan guessed. “It works for us, though.” 

 

“Yeah. I can use these.” Andrew put on the pajama bottoms. “I’m sure this will be much better than the towel you’re wearing right now.” He held the shirt up to Brian, who just noticed he was being spoken to. “I’ll help you.” Andrew was right; the shirt was much more comfortable than the towel, though Andrew did have to roll up the sleeves quite a bit.

 

“Can you walk in that?” Morgan asked. The shirt was longer than Brian was tall. Brian tried walking, but nearly tripped on the third step, when Morgan picked him up again. “It’s okay.”

 

Andrew crossed his arms. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

 

“How can I not?” Morgan said excitedly. “There’s no telling when I’m going to see him at this adorable age again.” She rubbed Brian’s head, which embarrassed him greatly.

 

“How do you know me?” Brian found his voice again.

 

“You haven’t told him yet, Morgan?”

 

“I was going to, but you interrupted when you came in.”

 

“Well, sorry!” Andrew shouted in a sarcastic tone. “I’ll remember to schedule my time traveling to somewhere more convenient!”

 

“Time traveling?” That was the one part of the sentence Brian didn’t understand.

 

“That’s right!” Morgan touched Brian’s nose. “Right now, we’re somewhere in either the past or the future.” They began walking back towards the foyer.

 

“How did I do that?”

 

It was Andrew’s turn to speak. “Well, you know how your relatives will say you got your father’s eyes, or your mother’s hair?” Brian nodded. “It’s kind of the same thing. It’s something you’ve had since you were born. There really isn’t a way to control it…”

 

“And anything you had on you stays behind, so every time you travel, you’re naked as a jaybird!” Morgan added.

 

“Every time?” Brian asked, getting scared.

 

“It’s okay, so long as you find cover, and it’s not too warm or cold.” Andrew was trying to calm him down. “You eventually go back after a while.” 

 

“I know it’s scary, Brian.” Morgan spoke up. “But so long as you’re not afraid, it won’t become a problem.” They started up the stairs in the foyer.

 

“Besides, you got us!” Andrew exclaimed.

 

“Who are you guys?” Brian was relieved to get answers about what happened to him, but he still didn’t know these people.

 

“Sorry. We felt we had to explain the time travel thing first.” Morgan answered. “We’re your friends…or at least we will be, in the future. Your future.”

 

“You guys are my friends?”

 

“I don’t want to tell you too much, but you will help us out quite a bit.”

 

“Maybe it’s because you met us here first. You knew who I was when I first met you.” Andrew said.

 

It was that point in the conversation that they reached the second floor of the house. The only thing that was in front of them was a wide hallway and more doors. Some were open, some were not.

 

"So…which room first?" Morgan placed herself at the head of the group.

 

Brian looked carefully. The first room to their right was slightly open. From what he could see, it was a bedroom, since the bed was in plain sight; a large green quilt placed on top. The shape made it look large and rounded, but it didn't move, and Brian had to convince himself that it was likely just pillows underneath. "Let's look in that one first." He pointed to the door.

 

Entering the room revealed that it was smaller than they expected. Other than the bed, there was a nightstand, a tall cabinet, and a sliding door closet. Much of the room had the same color scheme of green and brown. On top of the nightstand was a digital clock, which seemed to stand out amongst all of the old-fashioned furniture. 

 

“1 o’clock.” Morgan said out loud. “Odd time for everyone to be out of the house.”

 

Just as she said that, a noise next to them attracted their full attention. The mound underneath the sheets on the bed started moving and a moaning could be heard. The mound moved towards the front end of the bed started to rise. When the blanket fell over, they could see the head of another girl pop out. Her hair was a short black color, cut almost like a bowl cut. She looked to be a little younger than Andrew.

 

The girl yawned and opened her eyes. “Huh? What are you all doing in my room?”

 

Morgan laughed. “I don’t think you have a room this nice, Tina.”

 

“What? Morgan?” The girl called Tina rubbed her eyes and looked around. “This isn’t my room. That means…” She quickly looked under the blanket. “Darn it.”

 

“I’ve never heard of anyone traveling under bed covers before…” Andrew wondered aloud.

 

“I didn’t. I thought I fell out of bed and went into this one without thinking.” She took a closer look at the others. “Are you guys all traveling from different times?”

 

Morgan nodded. “Andrew’s sixteen. I’m twenty-two. And Brian here…” She lifted him slightly. “…is on his first time travel at six.”

 

“I thought that this was Brian.” Tina smiled and looked at Brian. “There’s no mistaking that face.”

 

“You know me, too?”

 

“I will, when you get a little older.”

 

“How old are you?” Andrew asked.

 

“Twelve.” Tina answered. “Can I get something to wear now? What’s in that closet?”

 

Morgan walked over and slid open the door. Inside the closet was an assortment of old looking clothes: Blouses, button-up shirts and a few nightgowns.

 

"These look like stuff my grandma wears." Andrew sniffed closely. "Smell like them, too."

 

"You sure you wanna wear these, Tina?" Morgan asked. 

 

“Just hand me one of the nightgowns. I don’t care. I’d just like to not be naked.” Tina took the nightgown and dove under the covers with it. After a few seconds of shuffling, Tina emerged from under the covers, the nightgown barely touching the floor.

 

“By the way, Tina...would you happen to know where we are?” Morgan asked.

 

“Hmm…” Tina took a look out the door and around the hallway. “Isn’t this Flo’s grandpa’s house?”

 

“Ah!” Morgan shouted. “That’s it! It’s been a long time. You’d think I’d remember a place this fancy looking.”

 

“All this time, and you still have the worst memory out of all of us. How did you live to be that old?”

 

“I’m just lucky, I guess.” Morgan answered with a big smile on her face.

 

“Whatever.” Tina scratched her head. “Since we’re all gathered and covered, what do you want to do?”

 

“Well, we can always wait in the main room for the old man to show up.” Morgan suggested. “I want to see the look on his face when he sees all of us here.”

 

“That’s assuming we’re in a time where he knows all of us.” Andrew interjected. “Because if not, he’s gonna have a completely different face than the one you’re thinking.”

 

“We won’t know if we keep talking here. Besides, we’re a bunch of kids…and me. If he sees us just relaxing and watching TV, he’ll be surprised, but I don’t think he’d be angry if we try to explain ourselves.”

 

“Then we better hope he listens...”

 

Going back downstairs, the group headed in the direction that was the most familiar to Brian: the room he first found himself in. Everyone was able to fit on the couch, with Brian sitting on Tina’s lap while Morgan walked up to the large cabinet on the other side of the room and opened it to reveal a big screen TV. He’d never seen one so big.

 

“Judging by the looks of this TV…” Morgan said, looking over it carefully. “I’d say we’re in a time he knows us.”

 

“You’re judging it by the TV?” Andrew asked skeptically.

 

“Technology’s a good way to tell the age. That’s especially important for us. Have you forgotten how rich the old man is? Why wouldn’t he have the latest stuff?”

 

“Could always be a different relative who wanted this. What if they’re the ones who own the property?”

 

“Would you quit being a worrywart?”

 

“We randomly appear in different places naked! How do you not worry?!”

 

While Andrew and Morgan were arguing, Brian’s attention turned elsewhere. There was a door that seemed to lead to the outside with a window in the top half. For a brief moment, he swore he could see someone looking inside. A face attached to a full head of curly red hair. Once the face noticed him looking, it immediately ducked out of sight. 

 

“Who’s that?” He asked out loud, gaining the notice of Morgan and Andrew.

 

“Who was what?” Morgan asked.

 

“There was someone at that door.” 

 

“Now who would be hiding out there?” Morgan walked over to the door and opened it. There seemed to be no one behind it, prompting her to look to the left and right, noticing something once she did. She let out a sound between a squeak and a scream, scaring Brian. “Florence!” She called out. “There you are!” Brian could then hear somebody talking, but it was so soft, he couldn’t make out the words. Morgan only nodded and said, “Wait right there,” before walking back into the foyer and up the stairs.

 

“Whew. Talk about lucky.” Andrew rubbed his head. “Now that she’s here, if one of her relatives shows up, she can vouch for us.” 

 

Tina sighed. “There wasn’t anything to worry about in the first place, Andrew.”

 

“Sure, if you explained something to a stranger, they’ll help you. But one look at me and I’m likely to get killed.” 

 

“You’re free to be wary, Andrew.” Morgan came back, holding what seemed to be a bundle of clothes. “Just don’t let that keep you from enjoying things.” She handed the bundle to a pair of hands Brian could see peeking from the other side of the wall. After a few seconds, a girl walked into the house, dressed in a pink shirt and a jean skirt. She looked to be slightly older than him.

 

“Hi, Florence. You living here right now?” Andrew asked.

 

The girl named Florence nodded. “This is the week I get to spend here. I’m glad to see you guys. I’m sorry we didn’t have any clothes out for all of you.”

 

“Don’t sweat it, Flo.” Morgan replied. “We made do with what was here. So, where were you?”

 

“I was visiting…” Florence’s voice trailed off as soon as her eyes met Brian’s. “Brian?” He felt no other compulsion but to nod. “Hi, Brian!” She came up close to him, causing him to fidget and audibly whimper.

 

“Don’t get too close.” Andrew advised. “This is his first time. He doesn’t know any of us yet.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Florence immediately apologized. “I’m Florence. I’m nine this year.” She held up nine of her fingers. “Have you been okay so far?” Brian nodded. “Good. Why don’t we watch some TV until you go back?”

 

They managed to find a basketball game to watch, as it was the only one everyone agreed was appropriate that wouldn’t drive the older ones insane. Morgan brought juice from out of the fridge in the kitchen, and Florence found some food to snack on while they watched. While he was in a strange place dressed only in a large shirt, Brian felt at ease. These people told him they’d formally meet sometime in his future, he already felt like he had known them for a very long time.

 

After about a half hour, the front door creaked open. “Florence? Are you out and about now?” Called an old man’s voice from the foyer. He stepped into the main room, dressed…just like how one would expect a grandfather to dress. Most of his hair was still on his head, quite white with age. “Oh…my…” He had noticed how many people were in the house. “I wish I knew when I would be receiving guests.”

 

“Sorry.” Morgan came up to the old man and gave him a hug. “I hope we’re not causing too much trouble.”

 

“Did you break anything?”

 

“No.” Everyone responded.

 

“Then, it’s fine.” The old man smiled. “Have we been a good host, Florence?”

 

“I…kinda traveled before they all came here.” Florence sheepishly had her hands behind her back. “When I got back, I was in the backyard and they let me in.”

 

“Well, we’re lucky these are people we know. I have to say, though,” He adjusted his glasses. “I don’t believe I’ve seen all of you come to this one point in time all at once.”

 

“You haven’t?” Morgan asked.

 

“It’s quite an interesting sight. I should write this down.” 

 

“While you’re at it, why don’t you write down that this is Brian’s first travel?” Morgan lifted Brian from the couch and handed him to the old man.

 

“Oh, is this Brian?” He asked. “Hello there.”

 

“Hi.” Was all Brian could say.

 

“I hope we get to become acquainted very soon, Brian. I know you’ll become friends with all these fine people soon.” 

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes! In fact, I…” But the old man’s words were cut off when Brian suddenly felt that same rush in his head that he felt when he first came to the house. After holding still and blinking a few times, Brian found himself looking at the ceiling of his own room. Feeling the room’s carpet underneath him, he got back on his feet, and found his pajamas waiting for him on his bed.

 

As he put his clothes back on, he wondered to himself about what he just experienced. It was all quite a bit to take in, but if it meant he had friends, it was good enough for him. He got so lost in his thoughts, that he didn’t notice the blanket was missing until he got on his bed. It was also then that he noticed the sounds of eating. Looking behind him, he found his blanket bunched around someone with familiar looking chestnut hair, except she was a lot smaller. She turned to face him, face full of bread crumbs from the toast Brian’s mother left for him.

 

“Hi!”

 


	4. Phillip and Abigail (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I could post these in groups of story, since I wrote all these a while ago. I feel better posting in the order I wrote them, though. It also cuts time from having to edit the chapters everytime I update one of the stories.
> 
> That said, enjoy this next part in Phillip and Abigail's story.

(Abigail is 8, Phillip is 9)

 

A Halloween party wasn't something Phillip thought was common. Up until now, whenever Halloween came around, he'd go around the neighborhood with his mother and sister, while his father stayed to pass out candy. When his mother told him to get into his costume, he was prepared to walk out into the neighborhood just like every year, but when the family started to get into the car, he was understandably confused.

 

They weren't even going to a relative's house. Apparently, his mother told him and his sister that they were going to a party at an old friend of his father's. They reminded him of this, and to pay better attention when things are said at the dinner table. It set in that he wasn't going to know anybody at the party and that this wouldn't be a fun party. It was too late for him to reject the idea. He was already dressed and in the car.

 

During the trip, his parents were chatting about how nice it was to see him back in the area after he left the state once he graduated college. He did take notice of the streets they passed. Ever since he first traveled, he learned to recognize any street signs or buildings if he was ever outside. It had yet to be bad advice, and at this point, he knows the way to his grandpa's house, his aunt's house, and the local shelter for clothes.

 

The house wasn't that far from his either. At least by car, anyway. He'd probably be dead tired if he tried walking the whole way, but it took a total of 10 minutes to drive to this house from his. There were already a lot of cars parked outside. The house certainly looked big enough to hold a lot of people, so he wasn't worried about space. Now, all he was worried about was what kind of people would be there.

 

Finding a place to park, Phillip stepped out in his makeshift cowboy outfit, made out of a blue plaid shirt, a red bandana tied around his neck, his normal blue jeans, a cowboy hat and matching boots, and a gold star pinned on his shirt that read "SHERIFF" in black. Walking in the boots was the hardest part about the costume, since he had to step with his whole foot to avoid tripping. He had some practice in the days before, on the suggestion of his sister. The practice seemed to work on even ground, but once they got on the asphalt of the street, he had trouble keeping upright, prompting his mother to hold his hand and walk with him up to the front door, much to his embarrassment.

 

A rather tall guy greeted them at the door, dressed like the Frankenstein monster. He was so tall that Phillip nearly had to crane his neck up to see his face. It took Phillip a little by surprise, but the man sported a big smile when he saw Phillip's father.

 

"Well, there you are, man!" The Frankenstein shouted. "I thought you got lost or something."

 

"It wasn't that hard to find. Technically, I've been in this area longer than you." Retorted Phillip's father.

 

"Whatever. You're here, and that's awesome." The man's focus then turned to the family. "This is a nice setup. You've aged well." He said to Phillip's mother.

 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

 

"It's a compliment. Take it." The man turned to his sister. "Aren't you pretty?" Phillip's sister was dressed like a vampire, complete with make-up and dark purple dress. She only shook his hand with a smile and a nod.

 

The man finally looked down at Phillip. "And here's the little cowboy himself! Put 'er there, pilgrim!" His hand engulfed Phillip's and he felt like his whole body was being shaken just by this man's hand.

 

The inside was bustling with people in many different costumes. There didn't seem to be a single person that didn't have a cup, a plate of food or both in their hands. Phillip had to be really careful he didn't bump into anyone. "Mind your manners." His mother reminded him.

 

His mother stopped holding his hand once they reached a woman with a long white dress, and hair the shape of a black beehive with a white streak through it. She seemed to recognize his mother, given how she threw her arms around her upon seeing her. "So glad you could make it!" She shouted.

 

"Well, when we say we'll be there, we do our best to mean it. You know that." His mother responded.

 

"And I'm glad that's still true today."

 

"Mom!" A voice shouted from behind the woman. Phillip's heart stopped. He thought he was going crazy, hearing that voice. Looking to the side of the woman, he could see a girl dressed up in a very pretty blue dress. Her straight black hair was done up in two pigtails, giving that fairy tale princess look. She didn't see Phillip, she was already looking up at her mother. "We need to get more chips!"

 

"We do? That was fast!"

 

"Is this your little girl?" Phillip's mother asked.

 

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I couldn't find her when you came. This is..."

 

"Phillip?" The woman was interrupted by her daughter, who came up close to Phillip. There was no mistaking those eyes.

 

"Hi, Abigail." He smiled. She nearly knocked him down when she hugged him. Abigail's words seemed to string together and he could barely understand her, but he figured she was just happy to see him.

 

Both of their mothers stood agape. "I..guess you already know each other?" Abigail's mother asked.

 

Phillip's mother just smiled at him, bent down to his level, and asked quietly, "Is this the friend you told me about?" Phillip nodded.

 

"Mom, it's Phil! I told you about him, remember?" Abigail asked her mother. She came upon the realization, and knocked her forehead lightly with her palm. She apologized, saying that everything's been busy and she forgot. "Can we go hang out in my room? Please?" Abigail finally asked.

 

"Sure." Her mother answered. "Better to get away from all the noise."

 

"Thank you!" Abigail took Phillip's hand and nearly dragged him through the house, the party guests suddenly needing to watch their space for these two children barreling through. It was only a short trip to her room, the first door on the left of a hallway right next to the front door. The room was a basic one, outfitted with a large bed, a desk with a mirror, a cabinet with a TV on top, and a sliding closet.

 

"Isn't it cool? We finally get to see each other!" Abigail was beaming.

 

"I know. It feels weird to actually meet each other with our clothes on." Phillip's face flushed after he said that, wondering why he didn't think before saying it.

 

Abigail only laughed. "Right? And look at this!" She lifted the dress slightly so that she could spin around. "Don't I look good? And my hair's up! Mom said that since we'd be inside the house, she doesn't have to worry about these getting lost if I travel!"

 

"That's good. You look so happy."

 

"Why not? I get to dress all pretty, and you showed up! And I know it's not because you traveled here!"

 

"Yup." Phillip smiled. "I bet I look stupid."

 

"I think you look nice. You look ready to save people from bandits."

 

"Thanks. I'm...glad I came here." Phillip shifted nervously. "Can I...sit on the bed? These boots are hurting my feet." Abigail responded with a nod, allowing Phillip to sit down on the bed and take off his boots, with some added effort by Abigail.

 

"So...do your parents know about what you can do?" Abigail asked once they were both sitting down.

 

"Well, I didn't tell them after that first time. I wasn't going to tell them because I wasn't sure how I was going to explain it. But then..."

 

"Did something happen?"

 

Back in the living room, Phillip's and Abigail's mothers were busy discussing the conditions of their children.

 

"Phillip was always the shy sort, but he seemed different after he told me he made a friend. He was very vague about it, too." Phillip's mother said.

 

"Well, it's always hard to tell your parents when something strange like that's happened. At least you had the courtesy of him knowing what happened."

 

"Yeah. And he was so upset when the rest of us found out about it. He thought I was going to ground him or something!"

 

"Oh? He didn't tell you? How'd you find out?" Abigail's mother was ready to hear an interesting story.

 

"Well...a few months ago, we went to the movies. Nice family thing to do, and Phillip gets scared easily, but he seems to know the difference between what's on a screen and what's in front of you."

 

"I think I already know where this is going..."

 

"We went to see...oh, I forget what it was, but it was a superhero movie. And there came a part where there was a flash of something. It was one of those stupid 'jump scares' directors like to put in for a cheap reaction. We were all taken by surprise, and I was sitting right next to Phillip, so I checked to see if he was okay, and..."

 

"All you found were his clothes?"

 

Phillip's mother nodded. "Mm-hmm. You wouldn't believe how scared I was. We almost had the movie stopped so we could look for him. Thomas had a flashlight on his phone, so he was busy searching the aisles for him."

 

Phillip was telling the same story in Abigail's room. "I think I traveled to the park nearby my grandpa's house. It was really early too, because it was really cold."

 

"Oh no..." Abigail reacted.

 

"That park doesn't have any bushes either, so I had to hide behind the trees. Bad thing about that is that the park's surrounded by houses. Anyone could have come out to get the paper and see me naked. I thought I'd die of embarrassment."

 

"What happened next?"

 

"I wasn't done suffering yet. Just as I thought I heard someone, I traveled back. I opened my eyes, and I was in the bathroom of the movie theater."

 

"Well, that's not a bad place to..."

 

"The girl's bathroom."

 

"Oh..." That was Abigail's only reaction until she thought about it. "Wait. Why's that bad? You couldn't help it."

 

"Tell that to all the women in there screaming. I bolted out of there, hoping I could make it back to where everyone else was. But one of the theater people caught me."

 

"A whole ten minutes passed, and we hear our last name being called over the PA system, telling us to 'please pick up your son' and 'bring him some clothes.'" Phillip's mother concluded. "Apparently, the theater had dealt with something like this before. They were very cooperative, which was a blessing. Now we know to bring him sunglasses and to not be so close to the screen next time."

 

"I missed most of the movie because of that." Phillip looked down. "The worst part about it was how my Mom was. I couldn't tell if she was angry or scared. I think she was both; she was screaming, hugging me and crying. I had to tell her what happened after that."

 

"Did she believe you?" Abigail asked.

 

"She did. After seeing all that, she kind of had to. I don't know if I'll ever get to go to the movies again, but knowing that I can accidentally travel, I don't mind not going."

 

"At least you knew what was going on when your parents found out." Abigail said solemnly.

 

"What do you mean by that?"

 

In the kitchen, Phillip's father Thomas and Abigail's father were also talking about their kids. "You think it’s bad having a son who's got CD? Try having a daughter." Abigail's father Arthur told Thomas.

 

"I can only imagine. How did you find out?"

After a few seconds, Arthur sighed. "In nearly the worst possible fashion."

 

"When I was five, we went to the water park. It was my first time there." Abigail started. "I was so happy because I saw the commercials and bugged Mom and Dad a lot until they decided to go."

 

"It was really a fun trip." Arthur continued. "Jenny just lounged near the big pool, while I spent time with Abby, holding her hands and teaching her how to keep her legs kicking to stay afloat." He took a sip of his drink. "After a while, we decided to have a bit of fun by having me jump off the diving board while holding her."

 

"That's when it happened, didn't it?"

 

"Yeah. God, I was scared." Arthur sighed. "I mean, can you imagine it? One second, you're holding your daughter as you splash down into the water. The next, you're coming up just holding her little swimsuit."

 

"I don't remember what happened after I hit the water." Abigail recounted. "I think the water went up my nose, and my eyes were open. I just know that I felt like I couldn't breathe. Suddenly, I wasn't in the water anymore. Dad wasn't holding me either. I was just coughing and I was so scared." She looked like she was about to cry.

 

"Where did you go?" Phillip asked.

 

"I don't know." Abigail looked up at the ceiling. "I do remember someone coming and throwing their jacket on me. I didn't get a good look at who it was, though. My eyes were still all blurry. Wherever I was, I wasn't there for very long. Suddenly, I was underwater again. I thought I was going to die."

 

"I searched in and around the pool for what felt like forever." Arthur took another sip. "Finally, Abby floated up to the surface. I picked her up just to make sure she was still breathing. I didn't care how she disappeared. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. She swallowed a bit of water and she was crying hysterically, but she was still alive. That's all I cared about."

 

"I told Dad about where I went after we hit the water." Abigail was scooting her way closer to Phillip on the bed. "He said I probably imagined it. I believed him because I didn't know better."

 

"So how did you know you could time travel?"

 

"Older me came and told me." Abigail answered.

 

"It was about a month after the pool incident." Arthur was a little calmer now. "We were just relaxing at home. It was about lunchtime, and then we hear a knock at the door. But it was coming from the door to the backyard."

 

"That's definitely weird." Thomas chuckled. He hoped laughing would get his old friend to perk up after telling the last story.

 

"So I carefully come and open the door, but no one was there. Suddenly, there's this voice coming from behind the bushes in Jenny's flower garden. It was this young woman trying to cover herself because she didn't have any clothes on. Obviously, she wasn't trying to rob us. A burglar wouldn't knock on the door or try to do it in broad daylight, for one thing."

 

"That was Abigail? From the future?"

 

"She called me Dad, and her face looked a lot like Abby's. After getting her something to wear and letting her into the house, she asked me where my daughter was."

 

"Dad called me into the living room." Abigail continued. "I could hear talking, and there was this voice of someone I didn't know. I saw an older girl in the living room, wearing my mom's jacket and sweatpants. She saw me and smiled. She said she was me, at seventeen years old."

 

"So that was the first time you saw older you." Phillip commented. "Did you believe her?"

 

"She told me about my birthmark, and about something only I knew."

 

"What was that?"

 

"What happened to me when I hit the water."

 

"We would've called it crazy if it was anybody else who told us this." Arthur's pace was going back to normal. "But when she was describing to our Abby about what happened at the pool, the look on Abby's face told us she wasn't lying. She explained everything she knew after that. It wasn't much, but we didn't have any information on what happened to her. We thought she was having some kind of out-of-body experience when she nearly drowned. Everything she said made sense, and what little Abby told us proved it."

 

"After telling us what I had, she told me two important things." Abigail held up two fingers as she spoke.

 

"What were they?" Phillip asked.

 

"The first thing she told me was that I wasn't the only one who could time travel. She hugged me like this." Abigail wrapped her arms around Phillip's shoulders. "Then she said 'Everything's gonna be okay.' After that, she disappeared."

 

"Wow."

 

"I tried practicing, to see if I could control it. When I thought really hard about a place, I would be there. Not in the place I wanted, but usually really close. Then I tried to see if I could travel and keep my clothes.”

 

“How did you try that?” Phillip had to chuckle a little at that idea.

 

  “When I felt myself about to travel, I’d hold onto all the clothes I could with my hands and focus on keeping them on me. It never worked, so I stopped trying. Older me said it was important to just cover myself in any way I could. Mom and Dad also told the rest of my family, so if I wound up near any of their houses, I could just walk in and stay there until I traveled back. Remember how my aunt's house was open?"

 

"Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. I should tell my folks that."

 

Abigail started to lean on Phillip's shoulder. "You know, after we first met, I know future me was talking about you."

 

"Really?" She was so close, Phillip wasn't sure what to do, so he simply stood still.

 

"Duh! You're the only other time traveler I know, Phillip! Have you seen any others? Oh, have you met your older self?"

 

"Not yet." Phillip sighed. "I tried practicing, myself. Everything from when we first met each other, I kept it in my mind as best I could. I was trying to see you again."

 

"You were?" Abigail sounded excited.

 

"Yeah, but every time I tried, I came too late. There was one time I saw you, though.”

 

“When?”

 

“It was last year when I traveled, and you didn’t look much older than the first time. That’s how I knew it was you. I tried to call out to you, but you disappeared. Other times, I'd end up in someone's room, and I'd find a girl's clothes on the floor or on the bed. I knew it was your room because you always kept a picture of you and your family somewhere.”

 

“That was older me’s idea. Keeping a picture of your family tells you where you are and when.”

 

“I should try that too. Better idea than trying to stay as long as you can somewhere. Whenever I found myself in your room, I’d try to keep myself from traveling back just so I could see you.”

 

"It's hard to control it, isn't it?" Abigail asked. "Whenever I was upset at school, I'd just find some corner to cry in. In the middle of it, I'd feel myself starting to travel. I'd try to calm down, but it just made things worse."

 

"Yeah, I know what you mean. The first time I traveled, I was feeling sad because I was being bullied." Phillip scratched the back of his head. "Remembering everything that happened that day helped cheer me up a lot. I just feel bad that I haven't talked to you since then, even though I tried."

 

"Don't worry about it. It's not like I haven't seen you."

 

"What?"

 

"I had my birthday a couple months ago. We were at the park because a lot of my family wanted to come, and we couldn't fit everyone in the house. I was with some of my cousins playing on the jungle gym, when I saw someone on the bench. The way he looked reminded me a lot of you. He was also dressed funny. Older me said that time travelers dress weird because we gotta wear whatever we find."

 

"So you saw older me? How'd I look?" Phillip was very interested to hear.

 

"Your hair was still a mess." Abigail reached up and knocked off Phillip's cowboy hat. "But he smiled when he saw that I noticed him."

 

"Did he tell you anything?"

 

"When I said it was my birthday, he wished me happy birthday and said he was sorry that he didn't have a present. But he was there. That was enough for me."

 

"Really?"

 

"Mm-hmm." Abigail nodded. "After that, he kissed me on the forehead and said he had to go back to where he borrowed the clothes from. He left saying 'See you soon.' I think he knew."

 

"Well, if it's me from the future, then he probably would already know I'd see you today." Phillip ran that sentence in his head a second time to make sure he had it right.

 

"I thought he was just saying that he'd travel to me again. So I'm really happy that this is what he meant."

 

"Me too."

 

"Phillip..." Abigail's tone turned serious again after a few moments of silent and awkward fidgeting. "What did you think...of what happened before you traveled back the first time?"

 

"What do you mean?" She was being awfully vague, so Phillip didn't quite know what she was talking about.

 

"You know...when I kissed you."

 

"Oh!" Phillip's face was burning. "That. I...wasn't expecting it."

 

"You weren't?"

 

"No. I've never been kissed like that before. Except by my Mom, but everyone's mom does that."

 

"Well, my Mom says you kiss people you like. 'Find a boy you like, and give him a kiss. They understand that.' That's what she told me."

 

"So...does that mean you...like me? Like, 'like me' like me."

 

"Why do you sound so surprised, Phillip?" Abigail stepped off the bed and stood up. "You can do what I do. You know what it's like! Why wouldn't I like that?"

 

"Sorry." Phillip felt he offended her. "I've just...never thought a girl would like me like that." He slid off the bed and stood up as well. "I thought it was too good to be true because I thought we lived too far from each other. But now, you're here...for real...and I...don't know what to do."

 

"Maybe we just need to try something. You don't know if you don't try, right?"

 

"Maybe..." Phillip thought for a minute, and then he had an idea. "Can I...get another kiss?"

 

Abigail smiled. "Sure. Let's do this right."

 

Phillip and Abigail stepped close to each other. Once they were as close as they could be, Phillip noticed that Abigail was a little shorter. She was likely an inch shorter, at most. Abigail looked up at him, closed her eyes and pursed her lips as her face drew closer. Phillip decided to do the same; that's how it looks in the movies. His heart beat so quickly, he felt like he could fly, and he was sure she felt the same way. The seconds of tension felt like hours, but finally he felt the sensation of her lips on his. They held that position as long as they possibly could.

 

"Look at the time!" Abigail's mother Jenny looked at the clock on top of the TV in the living room. "It's just about time for the kids to go trick-or-treating."

 

"I'll go get your daughter and Phillip." Phillip's mother volunteered. "It was the first room on the left, right?"

 

She moved her way carefully through the people between the living room and Abigail's room. She reached the first door, noticeably closed, in the hallway. She couldn't hear if the kids were having a conversation over all the noise behind her.

 

"Phil?" She knocked on the door. "It's time to go get candy!" No answer, but she thought she heard the sound of something falling. "Phillip?" Once again, nothing, so she thought to check if the door was locked. Thankfully, it was unlocked, so she simply turned the knob and opened the door. Nobody was in the room. In front of the bed in the middle of the room, lay a buttoned shirt and jeans on the left, and an empty blue dress on the right. She had a short gasp at the sight, but then caught herself and calmed down.

 

"Heather? Did you get them?" Jenny called from nearby. She was making her way towards Abigail's room when she noticed that Phillip's mother was taking her time retrieving the children. She came to the doorway and saw the clothes on the floor. "Oh, dear." She uttered.

 

"You think they're okay?" Heather asked.

 

"I think they're fine." Jenny answered. "We've seen her as a teenager, so she's not in any danger right now."

 

"As a teenager? We haven't seen an older Phillip yet..."

 

"Oh, then do I have a story for you to hear...let's get the rest of the kids ready first."

 

A cold wind was the first indicator that Phillip wasn't in the house anymore. He immediately opened his eyes and saw nothing but water in front of him. Seeing waves form and crash in front of him, he looked behind him, feeling wet sand on his feet. There were people on towels under umbrellas. A couple of toddlers ran around him, only looking for a second before getting grabbed by their mothers. A few of the beach's patrons stared, noticing the naked boy they swore wasn't there a second ago.

 

Phillip felt a different kind of embarrassment. "AWW, MAN!" He screamed and stamped his foot. He was afraid this would happen: that he would get so excited over kissing a girl who liked him that he would time travel. He felt like he wanted to cry, but something that blinded him from the side distracted him. A towel with a colorful design on it filled his vision, as it had been thrown on his head.

 

"Scream louder. I don't think the people who live on the shoreline heard you." Phillip heard the voice of an older man. Not quite as old as his father, but somewhere in between. Taking the towel and wrapping it around himself, he looked at the source of the voice. Standing above him was a man who he swore looked like his father, but his father always had very short hair.

 

"Who are you?" Phillip could only ask.

 

"I guess it's a little weird, since this is the first time you've seen me." The older man scratched his nose. "But I'm not your dad, if that's what you were thinking, and I know you were."

 

The revelation made Phillip’s eyes widen. "Then you're...me?"

 

"You got it!" A big smile came across older Phillip's face. "Come on! Stay out here too long, you're gonna get sunburned." He took the younger Phillip's shoulder and led him to a nearby vacant set of towels laid across the sand. Surrounding them were fold-up chairs and a couple of large umbrellas stuck in the sand.

 

"Who came with you?" Young Phillip asked.

 

"Mom, Dad, Arthur, Jenny, and Abby. We wanted to come here as an early birthday present to her."

 

"Abigail's here?"

 

"The one from this time." Older Phillip specified. "Little Abby's not here. She went somewhere else after you kissed her."

 

"How did you know?"

 

"I'm you, remember?" Older Phillip chuckled.

 

"Right. I should get used to that, shouldn't I?" Young Phillip laughed nervously. He looked carefully at his older self. "How old are you?"

 

"Seventeen. Abby's gonna be sixteen at the end of the month." They both sat down on one of the towels. "Anything you want to ask me? Just small things. I don't want to give you too much information."

 

"Does Abigail...really like me?" He finally asked after a minute of deliberation.

 

"Uh...yeah. I know it seems weird to you, but I'm gonna tell you something important: She's lonelier than you think she is."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yeah. Don't ask too much about it right now. Just...stay with her. Stay with her, and never let her go."

 

"But...what do I do? I don't know the first thing about being her boyfriend."

 

"That's how we call it, huh? I forgot I said the word 'boyfriend.'" Older Phillip shook his head and laughed a little.

 

"Well...she 'likes me' likes me. Isn't that how it goes?"

 

"Yeah. Yeah, it does. But there's no real secret or magic behind it. At least with us. If she wants something, she'll tell you. Boys like us aren't going to get a message if it's in some sort of code. She knows that, so if she asks for something from you, even if it's something small like just hugging her or holding her hand when walking, you better do it."

 

"That's it?"

 

"Well...she got to like us right from the get-go, and we didn't really do anything we wouldn't do normally. We were even naked to boot."

 

"That's true." Young Phillip remembered how helpful and kind she was that first time.

 

"So don't worry about it." Older Phillip rubbed the young one's hair. "If a problem comes along, you have to be willing to work through it together. Things will be okay, but only if you believe you can make it okay."

 

"You really think so?"

 

"Hey, I'm you. I know so. You're gonna do just fine." He hugged the young Phillip. "Now, I think everyone's coming with food, and we need space for all of us, so I need to take this back." He grabbed the bottom of the young Phillip's towel and tugged so hard, it pulled the towel off of him and knocked him on his back.

 

"Hey!" Phillip shouted, but as he fell on his back, he suddenly noticed he was looking up at a ceiling. He was back at Abigail's house. The ceiling light was off, but a lamp on the side of her bed was on, giving a fainter light to the room.

 

"Is that you, Phillip?" He heard Abigail's voice. Standing up, he found Abigail slipping on a long pajama shirt, but her head was stuck. Looking closer, Phillip found that a button on the collar was still closed. He quickly came over and fixed it, allowing Abigail to bring her head and hair out. "I always forget about that button."

 

"What time is it?" Phillip wondered aloud.

 

"It's 10:30. Everyone's left already."

 

"We missed trick-or-treating?" Phillip nearly shouted.

 

"Not totally." Abigail pointed to her desk, which had two medium-sized buckets filled with candy.

 

"Is my family still here?"

 

"It's quiet. I think they left too. See?" She motioned to the bed, on which was a very large blue T-shirt, most likely her father's, and a note on top of it.

 

Phillip took the note. It read:

 

  
_Phillip. We're not sure when you'll be back, so we've gone home. Abigail's parents have agreed to let you spend the night when you come back. Don't eat any of the candy if it's late, and we'll pick you up tomorrow morning. Love, Mom and Dad_.

 

 "The shirt's probably for sleeping in." Phillip commented. He fished his underwear out of his costume and put them and the T-shirt on.

 

Abigail jumped onto her bed. "You can stay with me if you want."

 

Phillip was about to refuse, but he remembered his older self's words. Instead, he said, "Sure." The smile on Abigail's face told him he chose wisely.

 

Her bed was incredibly comfortable. Once Abigail and Phillip were both settled into bed, she looked at his eyes and whispered, "This day was awesome. Thanks for staying."

 

Phillip only nodded. "Of course. We're a couple now. Isn't that something couples do? Stay with each other?"

 

"I'm sure it is."

 

Phillip then remembered something. "Hey."

 

"Hmm? What is it?"

 

"Where did you go after we kissed?"

 

Abigail sheepishly grinned, kissed him on the lips again, and said, "You have a very nice room."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter's my longest. I hope you enjoyed reading it.


	5. William and Judith (1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This new story's different in that it follows the person involved rather than the time traveler. The events in this story are also close together in a sequential sort of way, so you won't see any jumps in time like with the others. Hope it turns out well.

“I’m gonna do it!” William shouted, suddenly standing up from his seat at the outdoor tables at school.

 

“Do what?” His friend Tobias swallowed the bite of sandwich in his mouth. “You don’t just say something like that out of the blue. It could mean anything! Are you planning to rob a bank? Write a musical? What?”

 

“Today, I’m gonna confess!”

 

“Did you kill a guy?”

 

“Toby! You know what I’m talking about.” Will didn’t have any time for jokes. “I’m going to ask Judith for a date!”

 

“Judith?” Tobias’ eyebrow rose up. “Judith, ‘cutest girl in class with the scary older brother’, Judith?”

“I know that her brother’s been on the protective side, but he’s going to graduate next summer. This is the perfect chance!”

 

“You also realize that it’s because it’s his last year, he’s going to be extra protective?” Tobias laid his elbow on the table. “He might just be desperate enough to get held back on purpose so he can look after her for as long as she’s in school.”

 

“That’s stupid.” William groused. “No one would stand for him doing something like that.”

 

“Don’t be too sure. I mean, how much do you know about her?”

 

“Well, I know where and what she likes to eat, which classes she’s taking, and which gate she exits school from.” Will counted these items on his fingers.

 

“You’re going full stalker, man. Quit it.”

 

“But I’ve known she was the one from the first day I saw her!” Will sat back down on the bench with a big smile on his face. “Freshman year, first week. We pass by each other on the way fourth period. One look at my face, and…”

 

“…And she blushed. Yeah, you’ve told me this story before. I’m the only one who’s heard it.” Tobias was looking bored and very annoyed.

 

“How is that NOT a sign? It’s already been a year since then, and I haven’t done squat because her brother’s gotten in the way. If I go through my whole high school career without getting a girlfriend, how am I supposed to live with that?!”

 

“By not thinking that you need a relationship in order to validate your life?”

 

“Not an option!” Will crossed his arms with a resolute look on his face.

 

“Of course not.” Tobias sighed. 

 

The rest of the school day after lunch both flew by and crawled second by second for William. It went quickly when he was trying to figure out what to say to her, and it went slowly as he waited for classes to be over. Time was a cruel mistress to William, but he already made up his mind, and if he backed down now, he would not be able to muster the courage to do this again for a long time.

 

Having to run to nearly the other end of the campus was no easy task, but William had to make sure to he didn't miss her walking out of her last class. While time seemed to be working against him, luck was on his side, as he just noticed, in between gasps of breath, a certain brunette walking out the door. Those innocent features, the way her face was so well proportioned, and a smile that could be described like the gates to Heaven were just as good as the day William first saw her.

 

Alright, he thought. You got about five minutes before her brother comes around. Don't screw this up! He straightened himself as well as possible and blended into the crowd. He felt that just coming up in front of her would scare her off, so he opted for something a little more casual. "Hey!" He cried. "Excuse me!" He tapped his hand on her backpack to get her attention. As he expected, she turned around once she knew she was being spoken to.

 

"Can I help you?" Judith asked. Just the kind of response William felt belonged to someone so angelic.

 

"Hi..." William was trying very hard not to look like he was out of breath. "My name's William. I'm in your Algebra class..." 

 

"Oh!" She responded. "I thought you looked familiar..." 

 

"Yeah. Um, listen...if you don't mind..." Don't choke, don't choke. "Could I ask you something in private?" 

 

"Um..." She looked around. "How about over there?" She pointed to one of the separate outdoor classrooms, specifically behind it.

 

"Yeah, that works!" He felt a pang of guilt that she seemed so trusting. No wonder her brother's so protective, he thought.

 

Much to his relief, it was just the two of them behind the classroom walls. He thought he could focus by not being around a bunch of other students, but the atmosphere that he found himself was just making him more nervous. He was able to focus once he heard her voice asking, "Now, what did you want to ask me?"

 

Now-or-never time! He breathed deep and let the words flow from his mouth. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but...I've come to like you. For a long time, I've had this affection for you. I'm sorry I didn't come to you sooner, because I lacked the courage. But since I'm here, I don't want to let this pass me by. Would you go out with me, Judith?"

 

It felt like everything had stopped once the question left his lips. The look on her face changed, first to surprise, then to understanding. She finally opened her mouth. "I..." She started to say, but then her face changed again to utter shock, almost as if her body was under attack.

 

"Hey...are you okay?" William looked very concerned and began to reach out to her, but before he could get a hold on her, she turned and broke out into a run. "Hey!" He began to run after her. "Is something wrong?" He yelled after her.

 

Judith seemed to be trying to lose him, just getting enough distance that she was out of his reach. William was still worn from running earlier, which helped her situation and hindered his. The outdoor halls of the school could easily become a maze for the uninitiated, not to mention all the students who were still walking around made things that much harder. 

 

They were both out of the crowds by the time Judith got to the library, at another end of the campus. Fighting his way through all the students was taking its toll on poor William's body, but he still tried to keep up, spotting her running along the edge of the library and around the corner to the back. As soon as she turned the corner, however, William heard the sound of a short yelp, as if she had tripped. 

 

Crap! He thought. I hope she didn't hurt herself. He finally managed to slug his way to the library's corner to check on her. 

 

However, what awaited him was not what he expected. On the ground, splayed out almost like some sort of display, lay a large shirt underneath a backpack, a pair of jeans, and socks still inside a pair of sneakers. These were the exact same clothes Judith was wearing. But what were they doing here? 

 

This was the strangest thing William had ever seen in his life. He knew he heard Judith hardly half a minute ago. There was no way that she had time to take off her clothes (for whatever reason) and hide. Even so, if she was hiding, it was worth a shot to find her. "Judith?!" He shouted. "Are you here?" No answer. He began to panic. What do I do? If her brother finds this, I'm dead! He breathed deep a few times before deciding on a course of action.

 

Taking her backpack, he opened the main pocket to find that there wasn't much save for a couple of her notebooks. There was plenty of space in it, which relieved William. Carefully, he placed her sneakers in the back and bunched up her socks to place on the bottom. Trying to be mindful of her underwear, he folded up her jeans neatly and put them in. As he pondered what color they were, he grabbed her shirt by the collar, causing a flesh colored bra to fall out. When he noticed what fell out, he haphazardly stuffed the bra and her shirt into the backpack and promptly zipped it up.

 

"Right. Onto the easy part." He then opened his own backpack and pulled a sheet of paper from out of his notebook. He wrote in big letters "Property of Judith Sanders" and taped it to her backpack. Taking the backpack with her clothes, he entered the library and handed it to the assistant, asking them to have the office call her brother to pick it up, and not to tell him who delivered it. Before the assistant could ask anymore questions, William was already gone and out of the gates by the time the announcement was made.

 

Any normal person who witnessed what William had seen would do their best to convince themselves that they were hallucinating or that it just plain never happened. William, the whole trip home, couldn't shake it from his mind. He thought of what felt like every possible scenario, but none of them could satisfy him. He couldn't even do his homework, he was so distracted.

 

He decided that he'd put it to the back of his mind and just take a shower to relax after eating dinner. The shower did at least calm his nerves. Feeling refreshed, he walked up the stairs to his room, when a peculiar noise caught his attention. It was coming from his room, and it sounded like someone rummaging around in it. Everyone else in the house was downstairs. Whoever was making that noise didn't belong here. He ran up the stairs and into his room to find his second unexpected sight of the day.

 

His room was never the tidiest, but he knew at least his sheet was on his bed when he left for his shower, which it wasn't when he came back in. Instead, it was dragged off, bunched around...something rather short. Whoever this was, they had his sheet wrapped around them completely, even making a small hood for their head. They also seemed to be looking through the bottom drawers of his dresser, where he kept all his shorts and pants.

 

"What the...?" He thought out loud, drawing the small person's attention. "What are you doing? That's mine!" They tried to run past him, but they seemed to forget that the sheet was trailing behind them, making it an easy target for William to grab. He promptly pulled on the sheet, pulling the little thief back towards him, and within his grasp. Once he had a good handful of his sheet, he gave one last pull to rob the intruder of their cover. 

 

But the sheet wasn't to shield their identity. Looking down, William found a child. A little girl, to be exact. Her short brown hair and blue eyes quivered, her face was quite red with embarrassment. The reason her face was red was because William took the only thing she had to cover herself, leaving her as naked as the day she was born. William could only stare dumbfounded as she yanked the sheet back from his hands and draped it over herself again. "Um...sorry." He felt that was the appropriate thing to say.

 

This was definitely weird for him. First, his crush goes from running to streaking in seconds, then he finds this little girl in desperate need of clothes. He racked his brain trying to figure out just where she might have come from. The only possible way she could have gotten in was through the window, which couldn't be done on account that the window faced the backyard, and aside from the small trough to grow plants in, it's just a wall. Getting in from the bottom floor would also be impossible without being seen.

 

His only option left was to ask the girl. He looked down to see her simply staring up at him. Her features were quite adorable, now that William thought of it. Her face reminded him of Judith, but such a resemblance was only a passing thought, as he bent down to meet her at eye level. "Where'd you come from?" He asked.

 

The girl looked to the side with handfuls of bedsheet up to her chest. "My house," was all that she answered with.

 

"And where's your house?" 

 

"Around here..."

 

It became obvious to William that this girl was lying. Terribly, at that. He sighed as he knew asking her questions wasn't going to get him anywhere. He thought about just what he could do to get her to cooperate, when he heard an unusual growling noise. At least, it would be unusual if he didn't know what it was, but he knew that was the sound a person's stomach makes when they have yet to eat. The girl's face turned red again.

 

"How about we make a deal?" He asked, smiling at her. "I feed you, you give me answers. Real ones." The girl looked frightened that she had been caught lying, but then immediately nodded. "Good. I'm gonna go down to the kitchen and come back with some food. You stay here, and don't go through any of my stuff. Nothing in this room's gonna fit you."

 

As he made his way down to the kitchen, William couldn't believe that he was doing this. Nothing about this made any sense; Not this girl, not how she got here and certainly not what he was going to do. He was still reeling from what happened with Judith. But if he wanted to find anything out about the girl, he'd have to work for it. He fixed up a plate of the fried chicken and corn from tonight's dinner and heated it up. With a glass of juice in hand, he came back to his room. Thankfully, the girl seemed to be behaving, sitting on his bed patiently, with his sheet wrapped around her neck and allowing use of her arms.

 

"Here. My mom made this, and she's not too shabby of a cook. Enjoy." The girl went at the plate almost like a wild animal, leaving William to wonder when was the last time she ate. "Take it easy. It's not going anywhere." Within a few minutes, the chicken had been reduced to a bone, and the juice was gone.

 

"Thanks a lot!" She smiled, pieces of corn stuck to her face. 

 

"Just makes sense to feed someone who's hungry." He replied, taking a napkin and wiping her face. "Now, are we ready to tell the truth?" The girl looked down at her feet for a few seconds, seemingly mulling her options, before she finally nodded. William figured he'd start with something direct. "What were you doing in my room?"

 

"I was looking for something to wear..."

 

"Okay." He remembered that she wasn't wearing anything other than his shirt when he found her. "Why weren't you wearing your clothes?"

 

"They're not here." A rather obvious answer, if not rather vague.

 

"How come?" 

 

The girl shrugged. "It happens sometimes..." 

 

It happens sometimes? How does losing your clothes just happen? He thought to ask, but he worried he might come off as harsh. He took a breath and decided to go in a different direction. "How did you get here?" The girl looked like she was trying to drum up an answer. William worried that she was trying to come up with another lie. "Hey." He called her attention. "Whatever's going on, I promise I won't get mad if you tell me the truth. You don't need to lie to me, okay?"

 

The girl scratched the back of her head before finally answering. "Connor got mad because I wanted to play with one of his toys, but he was being stupid and wouldn't let me, so I took one anyway and he called Mom and we got in this big fight and she told me to stay in my room and then I got here." There was a lot more in that response than William expected that he had to take a few seconds to process it all. 

 

"Hold on. You got here after going to your room?"

 

"Yeah. Mom's probably gonna get worried when she doesn't find me there. I don't know where I am." That seemed to confirm to William that she was lying about being from around his neighborhood.

 

"How exactly did you get here?" He asked.

 

"It's a trick only I can do." She smiled smugly. "But it's hard to do." 

 

"What do you do?" He was curious, but William also felt the need to entertain this girl's ego. She was scared to be here, and talking seemed to be helping.

 

"It only happens when I'm really angry. Or happy. Or sad. When that happens, I just go somewhere else. Like magic." She gestured her hands like she was some sort of magician.

 

"What kind of magic takes you to some stranger's house butt naked?" 

 

"I didn't say I was good at it...and I don't always go to places I don't know." She twiddled her fingers. "Sometimes I go to my grandpa's house or the neighbor's yard. This is the first place I went to that I didn't know..."

 

"Well, you're lucky I was willing to help." William smiled. "I'd hate to think what would happen if you ran into a bad guy without your clothes."

 

"I can take care of myself!" The girl crossed her arms indignantly. "If you went through what I go through, you'd be crying for your mommy every time!"

 

"Well, I'll just have to take your word for it." He sighed, but then noticed she looked a little dizzy. "Are you okay?" 

 

"Yeah. When I feel like this, it means I'm gonna go back soon. Thanks a lot for the food, mister."

 

"Hey. Call me William."

 

"Judith. Hope I see you again." 

 

Judith? The name struck him like a ton of bricks. But before he could say anything more, she was already gone, the sheet dropping onto his bed. If he hadn't seen it himself, he would've never believed it. However, the facts were staring him in the face and now everything made sense. That's what happened to the Judith from earlier today. But if she disappeared somewhere, where did she go? 

 

All of this information was too much to take at once. If his Judith came back, he could ask her. But not only did he run before that happened, tomorrow was Saturday, which meant that he'd wait the whole weekend before he could see her at school again. For now, he thought he should try to recover from this as soon as possible. No point in panicking over something you can't do anything about. He took the plate and glass to the kitchen to clean up, and went back to his room. As soon as he thought that he wouldn't be able to sleep after all that, he was already unconscious. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's probably gonna be on the more comedic side as we see how William adapts to his time traveling girlfriend.


	6. Nicholas and Connie (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we find Nicholas after his first encounter with Connie. Mostly a conversation piece. Hope you like it.

(Nicholas is 16, Connie is 15)

It had been a few months since the incident in the store. Nicholas had looked into what happened with the girl named Connie, but he was still confused. What could possibly cause a person to time travel? No amount of science could possibly allow it to make sense, no matter how hard he looked, and it was rather taxing on his mind.

 

Into his next school year, he tried to progress as if things were normal. But, seeing a thing like that and not being able to talk about it for fear of looking crazy was maddening in and of itself. He couldn't forget the look on the poor girl's face, lost and alone. He felt a sense of sadness for her, being suddenly thrown around anywhere at any time, without so much as the shirt on your back. How are you supposed to live with that, he wondered. He also wondered if her parents would know about it, and what they wanted to do. Did she have any friends? Would she always go somewhere she could be safe? There were too many questions he wanted to ask her, but above all, one important question loomed: Would he ever see her again?

 

His friends can tell that there's something on his mind, but they leave it alone and convince themselves that, "He'll talk about it when he wants to talk about it." He doesn't like worrying them, but he also doesn't want to seem crazy or delusional for telling them that he helped a little girl who suddenly disappeared. He had his mother, who was present during that incident, to talk to about it, but she told him that there's been no record of any missing girl named Connie, so unless he could get more information somehow, he was going to have to let it be. 

 

Day by day went by, and it didn't seem like he'd run into her again. He almost hoped that any stray sound from a bush or behind a tree might be her, happy to see a familiar face. But to wish that on someone, especially the little girl he remembered, was selfish, he told himself. 

 

It was a mid-September's day, and classes were over for the day. Every student started on their usual path towards home. Nicholas, in particular, took the bus down the street to arrive at the nearest stop and walk the rest of the way home. He arrived at his stop as always without too much delay, as it was a public bus that stopped more often than a school bus, and always took time to assist people in wheelchairs. He himself took his time walking home, deciding to take the scenic route through the park on the next block. His parents wouldn't be home until the evening, so as long as he was home before them, there was no problem.

 

He eventually reached a bench at the corner of the park, flanked by the brick walls belonging to the homes next to it. He had never walked so much in a single day, so his feet were begging to rest. Resigning to take a break, he lay his backpack on the ground and slumped onto the bench.

 

Resting peacefully, Nicholas took a glance out at the whole park before him. There was barely a soul out there, save for the occasional jogger. Taking in this moment of peace, he wondered to himself just why he was so obsessed with seeing Connie again. It didn't feel like one of those fated meetings that was all over the different kinds of young adult novels. Those involved bumping into someone around your age at a museum or a coffee shop, not finding a naked five year old in the clothing department. It felt more like...finding an injured animal and helping it back on its feet. Wary at first, but takes to you once you show that you mean no harm. That's definitely what it felt like. She wasn't an animal, of course, but he felt the indescribable and inexplicable need to help her. As he wondered why this was, he heard the sudden noise of a twig snapping.

 

He looked in the direction it came from. To his right was a rather large tree. Looking around it, still sitting on the bench, he couldn't find anything that could have made that noise. No animals, no fallen fruit, nothing. In the back of his mind, he thought it might be her again. At this point, however, he had already convinced himself that he was just being too hopeful. "I'm going crazy." He said out loud. But another noise came up that was a little more solid.

 

"Psst." A voice called. That made him much more alert. Whoever made that sound, they were behind the tree. Nicholas stood up from the bench and walked carefully to the tree. Once he was close to it, he stepped quickly around, trying to surprise whoever was waiting behind the tree in case it wasn't her. But luck was in his favor again this time. It was like meeting her for the first time all over again. She did look different in that she now looked to be more his age, but it was the same blonde curls he remembered and almost the same face. 

 

"Connie?" Was the only word out Nicholas' mouth.

 

"Hi, Nick." Connie waved as much as she could with her right hand, as her right arm was being used to cover her chest, while her left hand was settled between her legs.

 

"Look at you!" Nicholas was so overtaken with joy, he embraced Connie with his arms wide.

 

"Yeah. Look at me. Could you lend me something? It's a little chilly for me to be naked." She sounded slightly annoyed.

 

Once again, Nicholas' habit of not reading the atmosphere kicked in. "Sorry!" His first thought was to lend her his jacket, but taking a closer look, he realized that they were roughly the same height. Her top half would be fine, but everything below the waist would be exposed to the elements. He then remembered something and ran back to his backpack. Connie looked from behind the tree to find Nicholas pulling something out of his backpack. It was a white shirt with his school's name on the front and a pair of blue shorts with his last name written on a small tag on one of the legs. "How's this?" 

 

"Your gym clothes?"

 

"Sorry. It's all I got right now. I didn't do a whole lot today, so they shouldn't smell that bad..."

 

"Guess I can't be picky..." Connie sighed, taking the clothes and slipping them on. They fit her as well as Nicholas thought they would.

 

"Take this too, if you're still cold." Nicholas handed her his jacket.

 

"You sure you won't be cold?" 

 

"I'll be fine. You're gonna give it back anyway." 

 

Connie uttered a short laugh and put the jacket on. "How long has it been, anyway?"

 

"Half a year, almost." Nicholas came back to the bench and sat down. "I found you hiding in the clothing department."

 

Connie sat next to him, searching in her mind for the event. "Uhh...was I young then?"

 

"Really young. You didn't know what happened to you." 

 

"Right! That must have been one of my first travels." Connie clapped her hands upon remembering.

 

"How do you forget something like that?"

 

"Well, it's hard enough to remember things from when you were only five or six. Imagine trying to remember things that happened a long time ago, but everyone else tells you like it was just yesterday."

 

"Yeah. My mom does that all the time..."

 

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna hold that against you. But you were acting like it had been years ago."

 

"Felt like it. I wasn't sure I was going to see you again." Nicholas glanced over her. "How old are you right now?"

 

"Fifteen."

 

"Sixteen, myself. My birthday wasn't too long ago."

 

"Same here, not that that matters right now..." Connie paused and swung her legs on the bench. "Were you waiting for me?"

 

"Kind of. I looked into that condition of yours."

 

"What'd you find?" Connie seemed extremely curious.

 

"Not much. A bunch of people refusing to believe it exists, and those who do believe it don't have a whole lot of information." Nicholas crossed his arms. "About the same as I saw: Naked person shows up either from the past or future, and after a while, disappears, leaving behind anything they might have been carrying."

 

"Oh..." Connie looked rather disappointed.

 

"Yeah. Most of the information was from stories of people who knew people with the condition. Like one person who said their son visited them from the future when they weren't even dating anyone yet. And someone who said he knew who his girlfriend was gonna be because she showed up as an adult when he was a little boy."

 

"Interesting." Was all Connie answered with.

 

Nicholas was a little surprised by that response. "That's it? I thought you'd be happy to hear that there were others like you."

 

"Well, I kind of already knew that." She stretched her arms above her head.

 

"Really? You've met other people who can do it?" 

 

"No. But the condition is a little more known where I come from."

 

"So does that means you're from the future?"

 

"Yup. Don't ask me how far. I don't want to scare you."

 

"Okay..." That statement confused Nicholas, but he let it go. "Do we still meet?" 

 

"All the time." She smiled. "And you're always super helpful."

 

"Well, that's nice to know, at least." He smiled in return. "What about your home life? How do your folks deal with it?"

 

"They told me they already knew I could time travel after I came back from when you first found me."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yeah. Apparently, I survived some sort of accident by traveling when I was a baby. They thought it would be better to tell me once I was old enough to grasp the basic idea." She shifted slightly, like it had been the first in a long time she was telling this. "It was a little confusing at first. They didn't know how I did it or why I can do it. But they never gave up on me. They'll tell me that as long as I came back to them, that was all that mattered."

 

"Wow. Your parents sound pretty cool." 

 

"The coolest!" Connie had the biggest smile on her face. "They'd always ask me about what I saw, pushing me to write things down in a journal."

 

"That would be handy." 

 

"Yeah. Especially when you open it to find messages you wrote as someone older. They were usually things like remembering certain dates or reminding where certain things were."

 

"Woah." It took a moment for Nicholas to process that idea. "Wish I could do that."

 

"Trust me, you don't want this condition. Not every travel has been pleasant."

 

"Sorry...I didn't mean to..." He began to feel a little awkward.

 

"It's okay. You can't do what I do, so I can't expect you to always know how I'm feeling." 

 

"I just wish there was more I could do to help you." He looked down at his feet with grief.

 

"Hey." Connie brought back his attention. "You do enough. You're going to keep doing well for me. That, you can trust me on."

 

"Really?" He asked, to which Connie nodded in response. He finally decided to ask something that had been on his mind. "Are we ever gonna actually meet? Or are you just gonna be this phantom girl I keep running into and helping?"

 

"Don't worry about that. We'll meet eventually."

 

"Care to tell me when that is so I stop panicking about it?"

 

Connie took a big breath. "Sorry. It's kinda like the movies. Knowledge of the future can be dangerous."

 

"Oh..."

 

Connie put a hand on his shoulder. "You already made a good first impression by helping me back then. By the time we actually meet, it'll be like we've known each other for years!"

 

Nicholas looked at her for a moment, but then smiled. "Okay. I won't worry about it, then. Just let it happen as it comes, right?"

 

"Exactly. The one thing about the future you can tell someone is not to worry about..." She was cut off mid-sentence when she suddenly vanished, which took Nicholas by surprise, as he had never seen it happen in front of him. He didn't think it would be so sudden or so quick. Just like that, he found himself looking at his gym clothes and jacket on the bench next to him.

 

He shook himself back to reality, put the gym clothes back into his backpack, and put his jacket back on. Heading home, he couldn't get rid of the satisfied look on his face. Getting to know that not only would they be meeting eventually in their lives, but that she was happy to know him as well. He also smiled at the fact that the little girl he helped grew up to be rather pretty.

 

Then he paused. He was so overwhelmed by the fact that he got to see Connie again, he forgot the most important fact. He saw a girl near his age completely naked! Any boy his age would have a certain reaction to seeing something like that. So why didn't he?

 


	7. Ben and Wendy (oneshot)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my first oneshot. A friend gave me this idea a while ago, and I decided to give it a whirl. I hope I don't disappoint.

It was funny how she decided on this spot. Then again, a date should have something personal to make it that much more special. Like a certain song playing that only you and your friends would laugh about, leaving everyone else confused, or a certain movie that you're attached to and know every single line of it. This was both adorable and heartfelt.

 

As he sat on the bench near the playground, he could hear the people talking. It seemed a certain rumor was popping up again. "Rumor" wasn't exactly the right word for it, however. This was more of an urban legend that's apparently persisted for years.

 

"The Ghost Children of Sesame Park", people have taken to calling it. They say that some mornings, you can find bare feet tracks on the walkways from the wet morning grass, or find them trailing in the sand where the playground's set. No one knows who leaves them, as most of these tracks seem to end without any conceivable way of doing so. Some late night joggers have also reported hearing the voices of children coming from the empty playground, but finding nothing when they investigate. There is also the random articles of clothing left in random places; a pair of jeans in a bush, or a shirt left near the playground. Those are usually attributed to the homeless, however.

 

He listened to the various mothers talking about the legend, and all he can do is smile. He's heard the rumors before, and every time it's brought up, he has to laugh at himself. He knows what makes the tracks and what voices they're hearing. He should know; After all, they're all his doing.

 

Not entirely his doing, and not on purpose either. The tracks have long been trampled over, but he guesses that he, she or the both of them have been here recently on a travel. He never did keep track of the dates whenever he came here, as there was no way to tell what day it was in the park, only what time it was. Because of that, it was impossible to know how old either of them were when they were here the previous night. Or early morning. It was that hard to tell, he's been here so many times, both normally and as a traveler.

 

It was sometime after his 8th birthday. He had known himself to be a time traveler since he was five, and he had been quite accustomed to it at this point. It was no surprise to him whenever he felt that same light headed feeling at any point in the day that meant he'd be going somewhere. What was a surprise to him, however, was that he'd be standing in the middle of the park, staring into the face of a girl. A girl not only the same age as him, but as naked as he was. A very abrupt lesson on the anatomy of boys and girls was made that day.

 

Through this bonding moment, they struck up something of a relationship, almost always seeing each other when they traveled. He'd either find himself at her home, scrambling to find some clothes, or she'd suddenly appear in his room, excited to meet him.

 

And then there was Sesame Park. This was the place they would come to whenever they both traveled. Here, they would run to the closest place out of sight of anyone who might pass. Their favorite place to hide in was the gigantic turtle shell at the edge of the playground. It provided ideal shelter from the outside and made for a convenient secret base the two of them would share messages in. It was in this park they made many a fond memory. Their first meeting, their first kiss, and the first feel of a maturing teenager. He always gloated about getting that far with a girl to his friends, but none of them believed him. He didn't care what they thought. He was happy enough to have that memory than their jealousy.

 

One day, at his house, she made the suggestion. "I wanna meet for real!" She said. They were both 18 and in the thralls of intimacy when this suddenly came out. He had never given thought to the idea of finding each other. He was quite happy with getting to travel and knowing 9 times out of 10 that he'd be seeing her. But, as the idea continued to stew in his head, the better it sounded. As soon as he agreed, she had already set a date. Surprising to hear she already knew when to meet and where, he thought she had always had it in mind.

 

Now at age 20, the fated day was finally here. He thought to bring flowers, but he wasn't out to impress her. They already knew each other quite well, after all. It was enough to be able to see each other without the need to hide or find clothes. He wondered to himself just what they would do for their date. A nice lunch? Fun at the downtown arcade? A hearty dinner ending with a night of romance in a private hotel room? The possibilities were endless. But just as his thoughts began to run away with him, the sensation of his shoulder being poked broke him out of his imagination. And his seat. 

 

As he sprung up, his head darted left to right. Whoever that was, he couldn't see them. He then had the idea to look behind him. Still no one, until he looked down. There stood a girl, dressed in shorts, a bright blue shirt, an accompanying short-sleeved jacket and flip-flops. A big smile decorated her face. "Hey, Benny!"

 

"Huh?" Ben blinked a couple of times. It took a moment to register who was talking to him. "Wendy?"

 

"Jeez, do I look that different with my hair done?" Wendy had her hair in one long braid, which Ben had to admit that he couldn't remember a time when she had her hair in such a way.

 

"Okay. That's real funny." Ben placed his hands at his hips. "Did you travel here and told the present you it'd be a fun idea to prank me?" 

 

"Why would I get dressed up like this for a prank?" She seemed very confused. "Besides, the only traveling I did was in my mom's van."

 

"What?"

 

"This is the date we agreed on, right? To meet up."

 

"What?!"

 

"Shall we get on with our date?"

 

"WHAT?!"

 

For a few minutes after that discovery, Ben had to be led by Wendy's hand out of the park and into the nearest diner where they promptly took a booth. He was unresponsive and dead-eyed, until Wendy decided to smack her hand across his face. "Snap out of it, would you?"

 

"Sorry." Ben finally responded. "I'm still getting over the fact you're actually a little girl. How old are you, even?"

 

"Thirteen."

 

"Great. Just great." He burrowed his face into his hands.

 

"What are you mad about?" She propped her head on her hands. "This is awesome. I didn't think you'd grow up to look so handsome."

 

"Well, I admit it's not for lack of trying..." Ben was weak to compliments, but he immediately caught himself. "That's not the point! How did you even know when we were supposed to meet? I agreed on that when we were both 18!"

 

"She wrote it down for me. Duh!" She answered. "It's not my fault you never asked what year I was born."

 

Ben slammed his face into the table. How, in all the years they knew each other, did he never bother to ask what year she was born? It felt like so long ago that he'd seen her this young, and now if he wanted anything normal with her, he'd have to wait a very long time. She, in the meantime, looked like she was having the time of her life. He did have to admit, that if things were the other way around, he'd be just as excited to see her as a beautiful woman. Not that he doesn't know already that she grows up to look amazing. Speaking of which...

 

"Did older you ever mention anything about this date?" He decided to ask.

 

"She only mentioned when it would be." Wendy was enjoying her soda. "She told me that knowing too much of the future would just make life boring. Didn't you ever talk to your older self when you were little?"

 

"I have, but only up to my high school years." Ben sighed. "Anything else was either family related or you." He had a thought. "When was the last time you saw me, anyway?"

 

"Last week. You fell in my aunt's jacuzzi."

 

"Oh yeah, I remember that. You told her I was a friend from school who came over while she was away shopping." Ben laughed. "I never traveled there before. I was scared she was going to come closer and find out I wasn't wearing bathing trunks."

 

"She wouldn't stop bugging me about you. She kept asking if you were my boyfriend after you left."

 

"So what'd you tell her?"

 

"I put up an act and told her I was too embarrassed to talk about it. That got her off my back."

 

"That's good. I'm sure it would be hard to explain to her that you and me time travel." Another thought crossed Ben's mind. "What about your folks?"

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"No parent just drops off their barely teenage daughter to meet with a stranger. What'd you tell them?"

 

"That I was meeting with a friend from school."

 

"And they just let you be?" An idea like this baffled Ben.

 

"Well, when you can survive being dropped in places you don't know buck naked, your parents tend to believe that you can take care of yourself." Wendy stretched her arms. "Didn't your parents cut you some slack after learning about your time traveling?"

 

"My dad insisted I learn how to make a campfire just in case I wound up in the woods. Mom stopped him when she brought up that if I disappeared before putting the fire out, it would start a wildfire. So far, the worst place I've been to has been the neighbor's house in the middle of the night."

 

"How was that the worst?"

 

"They have a big dog. And he wasn't friendly." He sighed. He didn't bother to ask her what her worst experience was. He already knew: When she was 15, she found herself on the freeway and nearly got hit by a car. Not only did she have to carefully get away from the speeding vehicles, she also couldn't afford to trust anyone who stopped to see if she needed help. She hid until she went back, where he was waiting, having just traveled to her house.  He held her for the longest time, understanding at that point what kind of danger he could be in. "Hey." He said finally.

 

"What?"

 

"Is this really okay? I mean, with you being younger than me."

 

Wendy seemed to be thinking the idea over in her head. "Is it okay with you?" She finally asked.

 

"It's certainly not what I had in mind when you told me about meeting in the first place. I thought we'd be able to have a normal relationship. One where we didn't need to depend on traveling to see each other."

 

"Who says we can't?"

 

"The laws of a good percent of the world. You want me arrested?" He raised his voice.

 

"Hey, my folks taught me about stranger danger after I got back the first time." Wendy replied sharply. "You're not a stranger to me, anyway. I'll tell them that you're the boy who keeps dropping in."

 

"You told them about me?"

 

"They always want me telling them what I saw. I couldn't lie to them about you." She played with her braid. "I met a boy who could do the same thing as me. Why would I keep quiet about that?"

 

"They didn't flip out after a boy saw you naked?" Ben joked.

 

"No. Why?"

 

"Nevermind." He answered nervously. Of course she wouldn't care too much about something like that. Her parents had likely accepted the fact that she'd always go without her clothes, so the event probably didn't rattle them too much. This fact did register as a positive that Ben would have to keep in mind. Maybe introducing himself formerly to her parents wouldn't turn out so bad after all. But that would have to wait for later. For now, their lunch was finished, and they had the rest of the day to spend together. But what would he do now that his date wasn't what he thought it would be? "So...what do you wanna do now? Can't exactly call this a date, so we don't have too many options."

 

"How about...we go to the arcade?" Wendy had the biggest smile on her face. "Is that an option?"

 

"Yeah, that's fine. That's actually a place I wanted to take you, whatever age you might have turned out." 

 

The arcade was only a couple blocks away. It was quite the popular little location, as Ben remembered it from back when he was a little boy. During the walk there, Wendy insisted that Ben hold her hand. He was hesitant, but tried to make the best of it.

 

Many of the machines in the arcade required some form of physical activity, which wasn't exactly Ben's strong suit. His preference steered towards either the seated racing games or the fighting games. Competition was always a matter of importance to him, time traveling affliction be damned. 

 

"See anything you want to play? I'll pay for change if you don't have anything." Ben suggested as they stood just off of the entrance.

 

"I see a couple of things. But I have a different idea." Wendy answered.

 

"What's that?"

 

"How about you win me something from one of the claw machines? That's what a guy does for a girl on a date, doesn't he?"

 

"This isn't a date!" He shouted. He got a couple of looks from passersby, mostly from the fact that he was loud. "We can't call this a date if you're not even close to eighteen."

 

"But you know me when I'm that old!" She responded in kind.

 

"But you're not that old right now, are you?"

 

"So what?" Wendy crossed her arms. "That shouldn't change anything, should it?"

 

"It doesn't..." Ben's speed winded down. "It shouldn't...but do you think anyone else is gonna think that we're dating because we time travel? If people saw us kissing like boyfriend and girlfriend, they're going to see me as someone dangerous."

 

"But you're not dangerous! You're the sweetest guy I know!" 

 

"Exactly! But what about everyone else?"

 

"I don't care about everyone else!" She waved her arms about. "I lo..." She was suddenly cut short, and Ben was left staring as her clothes dropped to the floor. Acting on instinct, he scooped the clothes up in his arms and ran to the nearest restroom.

 

Sitting in one of the stalls, Ben was mentally beating himself up over what just happened. He couldn't believe he just got into such an argument. The whole time, he was panicked about what people would think about him walking around with a love struck girl. Now, here he was, sitting in a bathroom stall, holding said girl's clothes. If he wasn't panicked then, he was certainly in full panic mode now.

 

"What am I gonna do now?" He wondered aloud. How would he explain to anyone if they saw him at this moment? He tried his best to keep his mind calm, reminding himself that if he got too worked up, he'd wind up traveling as well. If that happened, there really would be trouble! Taking in deep breaths, he mulled over his options. If there was a way he could get Wendy's clothes out of the place without them being seen, he could get back to his car and wait for her to come back. One fact that he and Wendy always remembered is that no matter where they were when they disappeared, they'd always come back to wherever their items or someone who could help was. His car was a private enough place that he wouldn't have to worry about anyone seeing them. That part of the plan was clear, how to get there was another question entirely.

 

Since he couldn't find any methods in the stall he was in, he tried his luck to see if there was anything he could use and opened the stall door. Nobody else was in the bathroom, much to his relief, and it didn't sound like anyone was coming in. How much time he had to figure something out before someone could walk in, he couldn't answer, so he still had to work fast. One option that came to him was hiding her clothes in the trash. But she was mad enough at him as it was, and stuffing her clothes in the trash would just make things worse. The trash can was a no. He frantically looked around for another place, since he couldn't risk going outside, when he spotted something in one of the other stalls. In the largest stall was the baby changing table, left open by the last person who used it. An idea struck him: If he can fit her clothes flatly on the table and be able to close it, that would buy him enough time to find something to conceal and carry her clothes.

 

Handling the clothes gently, he pressed them as flat as he could. He thanked the fact she wore flip flops today, since those would be flat enough to fit. He quickly folded the table up and clicked it shut against the wall. He waited a couple of seconds to make sure the clothes wouldn't fall out, then left as soon as he was assured they wouldn't with a relieved sigh. The clerk at the counter didn't ask why Ben needed a bag, which suited him just fine. It was big enough that not only could he fit the clothes in the bag, but he could also tie up the top so no one could look in it. Walking out from the bathroom, he started to remember how angry Wendy was before she vanished. He knew he had to do something in case she was still upset with him when she came back. He stopped in front of the machines, and had an idea.

 

The parking garage was a shorter distance from the arcade than from the park, so it wasn't that much of a walk. Holding the bag of Wendy's clothes in one hand and a giant stuffed rabbit in his other arm did make the journey a little difficult, however. This was fine as far as Ben was concerned. He certainly deserved this. He hoped this was enough, and that Wendy still liked cute things like the stuffed animal he got. He also began to become concerned with the fact that it was getting close to sundown, and she still had yet to show up.

 

Once he came up to his car, he noticed something different from how he left it. In the rear driver-side window, he could see a pair of bare legs laying across the backseat. Wendy had apparently come back inside his car and was keeping out of sight. She was face down, and the windows were up, so she didn't hear him coming at all. He placed her bag on top of the car and knocked on the window. Wendy immediately sprang up and covered herself with her arms, but then looked like she was relieved to see him, if only briefly, before she looked down with a look that spelled guilt.

 

Ben opened the driver's door. "You haven't been here too long, have you?" He asked as he stuck his head into the car. Wendy shook her head. "Here. Your clothes are in there." He brought the bag down and tossed it into the backseat. "Also...this is for you." She finally noticed the rabbit he was carrying. 

 

Her face changed to one of surprise as she grabbed the rabbit and held it close. "Why...?"

 

"You said you wanted me to win you something, didn't you?" Ben settled into the driver's seat. "Figured I'd do something to say sorry for the way I acted."

 

"You're not mad at me?"

 

"You nearly gave me a heart attack, but I'm not mad. I was just...too worked up about how we looked to other people, and I took that out on you. I should've just let it go and try to enjoy the day, but I couldn't. I was still trying to get over my disappointment that you weren't closer to my age."

 

"So you do hate it. That I'm still a little girl." She said, her voice breaking slightly.

 

"Yeah, it's a real bummer." He admitted. "But you know something?"

 

"What?"

 

"We already know you grow up to be a beautiful woman. I saw you grow as I did, and I enjoyed every moment of that. The way I see it, I already know what you're like as an adult, so I have something to look forward to." Ben breathed deep. "If you don't mind, we could hang out more. No date stuff, obviously, but we can still go see a movie or something. Would that be okay?"

 

"Yeah..." She answered. "I can deal with that." 

 

"Great. Now put your clothes on and come up front." 

 

Wendy looked down at herself and blushed. She quickly got dressed and climbed into the passenger seat. "What now, Ben?"

 

"What movie do you wanna see? I think we can still catch the matinee prices."

 

"There's one thing I wanna see. That new action flick!"

 

"Good choice. It is rated ages 13 and up." Ben joked, only to see Wendy grousing. "What? I can't get one joke in?" 

 

"Maybe I should call the cops." Wendy turned her  head away. "Your jokes are so bad, it's illegal."

 

"Sorry. Would you forgive me?" 

 

"Only if you get me a jumbo soda and popcorn." She grinned.

 

"But that's like ten bucks for the set, you little..." He grumbled. "Fine."

 

"Thank you. Also..." She leaned up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks...for staying."

 

"Of course." Ben replied, turning the ignition and starting the car. "The best things are worth waiting for."

 


	8. Five Souls (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one took a while in getting here. Sorry! This takes a slice-of-life feel into the happenings of our five time traveling friends. Enjoy!

(Brian and Andrew are 13)

 

Being in the last year of middle school does strange things to a child's mind. While you were among the oldest students in the school, the creeping truth that you would be back on the bottom rung come this time next year in high school was always there.  It was the kind of idea that determined those who were ready to move on to the next stage, and those who wanted to stay and bask in their superiority for a little longer. 

 

Brian was neither of these kids. He wasn't afraid of the jungle of high school. At the same time, he never looked down on those younger than him and looked on them with a degree of pity for how they were treated by his peers. An attitude like this is only right for Brian to have. After all, he's been through worse.

 

After his trip to the house of the old man when he was young, Brian has been rather busy with his traveling. He still can't quite control it, and is bound to vanish every so often. The advice given to him by his time traveling friends, however, has allowed him to be on his toes whenever it happens. His family has long known about it as well. It took some time to adjust, but they to at least keep clothes of all sizes at hand.

 

School has not been too difficult for him either. He had yet to accidentally travel during school, and he was perfectly fine with keeping it that way. He practiced breathing exercises (his mother's idea) to keep calm if he felt himself about to travel. One other thing that's kept him on the ground has been...

 

"Brian!" Andrew shouted from the end of the hall. Andrew, the young man he met during his first travel, turned out to live on the other side of the town Brian lived. He hadn't found this out until the first year of middle school.

 

"Hey." Brian replied.

 

"Hey, yourself. You passed right by me and didn't say anything. You spacing out again?" Andrew asked. Brian did have the tendency to look off into space at random points in time. He would often travel during these times without even realizing it.

 

"I guess I was. Sorry." Brian smiled. 

 

"Well, so long as you didn't end up anywhere. You really gotta be careful." Andrew always emphasized being careful about traveling, more so than the other travelers Brian knew. 

 

"I know, I know. I can't really help it. I just find myself drifting. You've known me for this long, but you still haven't given up on telling me to be careful."

 

"Well, I just feel I need to. You've been the only friend I've gotten that knows what I go through."

 

"I'm not the only one." Brian interjected.

 

"I meant the only one see normally. You know, with clothes on!" Some girls passed by with strange looks, which caused Andrew to blush and straighten himself. They left quickly, so he didn't have time to explain himself. "Neither of us have met any of the girls yet. We don't even know if they've been born by this time!"

 

"So?" Brian shrugged.

 

"So, if you end up getting yourself killed because you got your head in the clouds, I'd be left alone..." Andrew paused. "That's just not something good, time traveler or not."

 

"Relax, Andrew. I'm not going anywhere."

 

"You better not!"

 

Brian's house was within walking distance of the school, and both their parents agreed that after school, him and Andrew would hang out at his house until one of Andrew's parents came by to pick him up. Brian's mother would usually be home, so it was also useful for the summer holiday when there was no school. Knowing about their conditions made it easy for the families to bond and become quick friends. 

 

Getting to the corner where Brian lived, they were greeted by the sight of a large moving van across the street. There were people coming in and out of the van, carrying various items of furniture. Nothing very fancy, but it didn't look cheaply made, either.

 

"Oh, yeah." Brian said. "I forgot someone bought the house across the street. Looks like they're getting everything in."

 

"I think it's a whole family moving in." Andrew was judging from the size of the house. "What do you think they're like?"

 

Brian shrugged. "Who knows? Doesn't really matter to me..." He started to walk towards his house again.

 

"It just might." Andrew commented, not moving from his spot.

 

"What?" Brian turned around. Andrew pointed towards the house, where a little girl had just ran out of the front door. They instantly recognized her from the top, full of curly chestnut colored hair, and as full of beans as she did from the day she first met Brian. "No way..."

 

"Could that be?" Andrew asked out loud.

 

"Only one way to find out." With that, Brian started towards the van and the girl.

 

"Wait." Andrew grabbed Brian's sleeve. "You can't just walk right up to her. What if she doesn't know who you are yet? She might not even be the same person at all."

 

Brian yanked his arm out of Andrew's grasp. "Then I'll give her a welcome to the neighborhood. It's always good to make kids feel welcome. If it's not her, this will all be a simple misunderstanding."

 

"Are you listening to yourself right now?" Andrew asked. 

 

"I'm listening to you, and you sound way too nervous." Brian responded.

 

"So, he sounds the way he normally does." A voice between them chimed in. In the time that they were both arguing, the girl had taken notice of them and came up to them without their noticing. She had a yellow shirt on under blue overalls. They both stopped.

 

After a moment of being dumbfounded, Brian spoke up. "Is that you, Morgan?"

 

Morgan smiled that instantly recognizable smile they both came to know from her. "Yup! Do you guys live here?"

 

"My house is just across the street." Brian answered, pointing to his house.

 

"Cool!" Morgan beamed. "Can I hang out with you guys? My room's not finished yet, and I'm dying of boredom!"

 

"Uh...are you sure that's okay?" Andrew asked.

 

"Hang on. I'll go ask Mom!" Without another word, she sped back to her house.

 

"Her mom, huh?" Brian thought out loud. "You think she'll recognize us?"

 

"Please. That woman never forgets a face." Andrew answered.

 

After a minute, Morgan came back out of the house, holding the hand of a woman. She looked to be somewhere in her thirties, slightly overweight but otherwise looking healthy. She had the same kind of hair as Morgan, so there was no question that this was her mother.

 

"See? Told you they were here." Morgan was telling her.

 

"Well..." Morgan's mother started. "If it isn't Brian Thomas and Andrew Mason, in the present!"

 

"Hi, Gloria..." Both Andrew and Brian said at the same time. She was always insistent on being called by her first name, as she always wanted people to be comfortable if she could help it.

 

"The last time I saw the both of you, you were about Morgan's age. Yeah, I remember the both of you, so small and in your birthday suits. How could I forget, though? That was only two weeks ago!" She laughed heartily, a laugh that was unforgettable as far as the both of them were concerned. "Seriously, though. How are you boys? I didn't think you lived here."

 

"I didn't know you were moving here." Brian replied. "Big Morgan never said anything about it."

 

"Probably wanted to keep it a surprise. I know I would." 

 

"As far as surprises go, this isn't a bad one." Andrew said.

 

"So can I hang out with them, please?" Morgan asked her mother.

 

"Would certainly be better than you being around a bunch of guys moving furniture. Go ahead."

 

"Thanks!" Morgan hugged her mother. 

"Now you boys keep a good eye on her. I don't have to tell you how she's bound to get into trouble if someone's not watching her." Gloria said to Andrew and Brian. "And if you-know-what happens, tell me right away." They both nodded in response.

 

"So which one's your house, Brian?"

 

Brian's house matched the kind of quality as the rest of the homes on the block: More than a few decades old, but still holding a very modern appeal on the inside. There were three rooms. One for his parents, one for him, and one for his little sister. No appliance in the house was more than ten years old, so one could tell they were up on current technology.

 

"Mom, we're home!" Brian shouted into the house.

 

"Just a second, you guys." A voice from deeper within the house said. A woman then walked into the living room. She seemed younger than Gloria, though not by much. She had blonde hair, like Brian himself, tied into a low ponytail. "How was school? I hope you..." She paused. "Morgan? When did you get here? And you're already dressed?"

 

"I'm not traveling, Mrs. Thomas!" Morgan giggled.

 

"She's the one who's moving into the house across the street." Brian motioned at the front window. "Funny, isn't it?"

 

"Huh..." Brian's mother crossed her arms and looked at Morgan curiously. "So you were this young the whole time. Patty will be happy to see this."

 

"She still at practice?" Brian asked.

 

His mother nodded. "She'll be back around five. Are you gonna be here until then, Morgan?"

 

"Yeah. I wanna see her!" Morgan replied excitedly.

 

"Well, okay then." Brian's mother smiled. "She'll be safe with you, right?" She turned towards Brian.

 

"Yeah. If I can handle Patty, she's fine with us."

 

Brian's room was...your typical boy's room. Movie and video game posters adorned the walls, his television and game systems at the center of the wall, and his big bed in the middle of it.

 

"Wow. It looks so different from the last time I was here." Morgan said, looking all over the room.

 

"I think the last time you were here...how old are you again?" Brian asked.

 

"Ten."

 

"Right. It was after the first time I traveled when I was six. You were eating the food Mom gave me." He put his hands at his hips.

 

"I was hungry. What was I supposed to do?"

 

"You at least could have stuck around until Mom came into my room. She told me I was dreaming there was a naked girl in my room."

 

"I couldn't help that either. I'm sorry." Morgan looked very guilty as she said that.

 

"Ah, it's water under the bridge." Brian replied. "Besides, she got to know you later on. You came here again when you're older." 

 

Morgan giggled. "So I've known you for a while, huh?"

 

"Yup."

 

"So how have you seen any of the others? Tina or Florence?" Andrew asked. 

 

"Only when I travel." She answered. "I saw Tina when she was older, and Florence, too."

 

"I guess it's still gonna be a while before we meet them, huh?" Brian mused.

 

"Dang. Here, I thought I'd be getting some perspective." Andrew crossed his arms.

 

"Enough about that." Brian interrupted, then turned to Morgan. "Anything you wanna do right now?" 

 

"Let's play something. I've had my eye on the controller since we got here!"

 

Brian had plenty of kid-friendly games. Platformers were a favorite of his, so it was hardly ever an issue of what game to get when concerning Patty. Morgan enjoyed them quite a bit herself.

 

"I think we can leave her here. She'll be fine." Brian told Andrew once she got to playing. "We stay here any longer, we won't get our homework done."

 

"You make that sound like a bad thing." Andrew joked. "Morgan, Brian and I are gonna be over in the kitchen, doing homework. Call us if you need anything, okay?"

 

"Okay!" Morgan answered, not even looking away from the screen.

 

"This isn't so hard..." Andrew said on the way to the kitchen. "Just keep them distracted."

 

"You were that young and easily distracted once, too." Brian retorted. "Don't act like you were a good kid."

 

"Yeah, I'm sure you were the picture of good behavior."

 

A half hour had passed by Brian and Andrew before they knew it. They both had tests coming up, so they had a bit of a workload. They envied Morgan, whose main concern was likely multiplication, as far as they were concerned.

 

"Hey." Andrew said after they were both finished.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"You think we should check on her? It's been at least twenty minutes and she hasn't asked for anything."

 

"Hmm...you're right." Brian stood up from his seat. "I'll go see if she's still there." On his way to his room, he could still hear sounds of the game being played, which confirmed to him she hadn't traveled. It was a different game, too, which meant she found something new to occupy herself with. However, there seemed to be more sounds coming from his room.

 

"You're cheating!" 

 

"You just gotta know the level like I do..."

 

"What was the button for items, again?"

 

Morgan wasn't alone anymore. But who was also with her? He quickened his pace to get to his room. Peering inside, he got a look at what was happening. To his surprise, it was Tina and Florence, playing a racing game along with Morgan. Tina seemed to be beating the other two with relative ease, while poor Florence was still trying to figure out the controls. They both looked about as young as Morgan, as evidenced by the fact that Tina was wearing Morgan's overalls and Florence had the long yellow shirt that Morgan was wearing. This, of course, left Morgan with only her underwear.

 

"Morgan..." Brian had his face buried in the palm of his hand.

 

"Uh-huh?" Morgan paused the game. 

 

"If you needed clothes for them, you could have asked and I would have got some from my sister's room..."

 

"But they're fine with my clothes..."

 

"Then I'll get some for you. I know you don't care about this kind of thing, but I'd like you to at least put something on. Please?"

 

"Fine..." Morgan said dejectedly. She stood up and walked past Brian into the hallway. Brian just looked on and sighed.

 

"Hey, Brian." "Hi, Brian." The other two girls greeted him.

 

"Hey, girls. Everything okay? You didn't hurt yourselves on the way in?" They shook their heads. "Good. Good."

 

"Are you okay, Brian?" Florence asked.

 

"I am. I just wasn't expected any more surprises." He motioned behind him. "She's actually my neighbor. Andrew's here, too. We go to the same school."

 

"Isn't it great?" Morgan said, coming back, dressed in Patty's pink shirt and blue shorts. "I can see him whenever I want."

 

Florence smiled. "We're all together again. Like back at Grandpa's house."

 

"It is like that, isn't it?" Brian smiled back.

 

"Have you run into us yet?" Tina asked.

 

"Not yet. Pretty convinced I will, though." Brian answered. "I mean, we wouldn't just be traveling to each other without meeting for real eventually, right?"

 

"Uh-huh!" Florence nodded. "I wanna see you soon! Just like Morgan did."

 

"I'm sure we will."

 

"Just you wait." Tina smirked. "I'm sure that in this time, and I'm older than all of you!"

 

"Well, won't that be a surprise." Andrew said, suddenly coming into the room. "I almost don't want it to happen."

 

"There you are." Tina said, standing up. She calmly walked up Andrew and swiftly kicked him in the knee.

 

"Ow!" Andrew bent down, holding his knee. "What the heck was that for?!"

 

"You'll know why." Tina only gave that as an answer before turning around and sitting back down with Florence and Morgan.

 

"Be nice, Tina. This is my house, and I have the right to kick you out." Brian warned.

 

"You wouldn't kick out a kid, would you?" Tina tried her best innocent expression. Not even ten years old, and this girl was a practiced actress.

 

"No, but I could do this!" Brian then grabbed Tina and began tickling her, aiming for known weak spots like her feet and under arms. Most children are ticklish, and Tina was no exception.

 

Tina tried her best not to laugh, but she didn't last five seconds. "Stop! Stop it!" She yelled in between bouts of laughter. "That's not fair!" She flailed her arms trying to get him to stop. "I give up! Unc..." She fell silent as she had vanished, leaving Brian holding the overalls she borrowed.

 

"That wasn't nice." Morgan said.

 

"Kicking Andrew wasn't nice either." Brian replied, handing Morgan back her pants. "Even if he did deserve it."

 

"I don't even know what I did! I haven't even done it yet!" Andrew slowly got back up. "Man, that hurt."

 

"Are you okay?" Florence asked, looking concerned.

 

"I'll be walking with a limp for a while, but I'll be okay." Andrew walked carefully to Brian's bed and sat down.

 

"We were playing a good game too." Morgan lamented. "Now who's gonna play with us?"

 

"Well, Andrew and I just finished homework, so we'll play with you." Brian suggested. "I noticed you were having trouble, Florence. Why don't I play for you, and you watch?"

 

"Okay!" Florence looked quite happy to hear that. She handed Brian the controller and promptly sat down on his lap. "Just like back at Grandpa's, when you were sitting on Morgan's lap."

 

Brian laughed back. "Yup." He reminded himself that she's probably from not so long after he first traveled, since she seemed to recall the event so clearly. She looked so happy to be with everyone, that Brian wondered if she was otherwise lonely when she wasn't traveling. 

 

He tried not to let on that he was thinking such depressing thoughts, even after crashing in the game. "Shoot!"

 

"Are you okay, Brian? That was an obvious turn." Andrew commented.

 

"Sorry. I wanted to make it easy so Morgan wouldn't throw a fit." Brian tried to pass it off.

 

"Hmph." Morgan scoffed. "Worry about yourself. I can win this without you giving up on purpose."

 

In the end, Morgan took second place, while Brian won and Andrew took third. "Hmm...maybe you should have taken it easy on me." Morgan groused.

 

"Tried to warn you." Brian said. "If you want, you can come over some other time and practice."

 

"I just might. I'll beat you one of these days." Morgan looked quite serious about it.

 

"I'm counting on it." Brian grinned. "Did you get a good look, Florence?" He looked down at her, but realized she had nodded off to sleep.

 

"Poor thing." Andrew said. "Probably traveled past her bedtime, and she just couldn't stay up any longer."

 

"It's close to when Dad and Patty should be getting home."  Brian said. "Let's let her rest here and hang out in the living room." He motioned to lift her up from his lap, but the moment he touched her, she vanished.

 

"Huh. Usually, you travel back right when you fall asleep, don't you?" Brian asked.

 

"We don't know the solid rules of it, yet." Brian responded, handing the shirt to Morgan. "But I think she really wants to see us soon."

 

"You think so?" Morgan asked.

 

"Yeah. I hope it's soon. Now I think Patty would appreciate having her clothes back..."

 

"Or...I can give these to her, and we can pretend that she's the time traveler!"

 

"Heh. Whatever you want to do, Morgan. It's not like either of us could stop you, even if we tried."

 

As Morgan ran off towards the living room, Andrew came up to Brian and asked, "Things are gonna get crazier from here on out, aren't they?"

 

"Is that any different than how it usually is?" Brian asked in return. "I think we'll be fine."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if this one's a bit weak. Been sick for the days I wrote this out, and I haven't been able to brain very good. Hope I still did well.


	9. William and Judith (2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the sake of this chapter, making sense, I edited out the last part of this story's first chapter, after little Judith disappears. Sorry for the inconvenience

The day he had waited for was upon him. "I love you, Judith! Please, be my girlfriend!"

"Of course, William!" She responded with a smile. "Kiss and hug me, won't you?"

A request he couldn't refuse, he closed his eyes slowly, taking in every second their lips touched and the shape of her body in his arms. She drew back, and as he opened his eyes, he found not the love of his life, but a little girl wearing Judith's clothes.

"I love you too, William! Let's be together forever!"

"Aaaaahh!" William sprang up in bed with a start. That scene was just a dream. He took a moment to catch his breath, but it didn't help the knowledge that what happened in the dream was very possible.

"William?" His mother could be heard from behind his door. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just...stubbed my toe." He quickly made up on the spot.

"Please be careful. I don't care what you do with the door closed, but keep it quiet." She always was one for inappropriate jokes ever since he hit puberty. "There's someone at the door for you. Hurry up and get dressed."

"There is?" William bounded out of his bed and into some decent looking clothes. "Who is it?" He asked his mother. The only other person who came to the house for William was Tobias, so someone other than him coming over for William was noteworthy.

"Don't know." His mother shrugged. "This girl just came to the door and asked for you by name. Is she a study partner, or did we get ourselves a girlfriend and just not tell me?" She said with a smirk. "Because, let me say, she is quite the looker!"

"Stop that!" William exclaimed. "It's probably someone from class that asked Toby for my address. Gotta ask him to stop giving my address to random people. 'But what if I wanna set you up on a blind date?'" He mocked Tobias' voice. "Asshole."

"Well, don't keep her waiting." His mother pat his back. William started towards the front door. "Let me know if you two want some snacks or something to drink. You're bad at breaking the ice!"

"That's not funny!" He shouted. The wooden door kept him from seeing whoever was waiting for him, but it had a small peephole to look out of. A hole that William ignored completely as he swung the door wide open, forgetting not to look desperate if what his mom said was true. He had eyes for Judith, but it never hurt to look good. Keeps bad rumors from spreading that way.

Just as he thought, but hoped it wasn't, it was Judith. Dressed in the same kind of casual wear she came to school in, she stood at his porch looking...a little nervous? It was hard to tell, but she was indeed looking like she had come on a dare from her friend or had otherwise forced herself to come.

"Judith!" He greeted her, trying his best to sound like he wasn't about to wet his pants. "Nice to see you."

"Thank you," Judith answered. "May I come in?"

"Of course," William led her into the house. "How'd you know this was my house?"

"Oh, uh..." Judith looked like she was trying to remember something. "Toby gave me your address."

That's weird, William thought. Do they know each other on the side? He shook off the questions in his head, and asked a more important one. "So, uh...what did you come here for?"

"I was...hoping to talk to you," she answered nervously. "Apologize for running off on you yesterday." 

"Oh, that," William scratched his head. "Well, I wasn't offended but that, if that's what you were thinking. I just thought I made a bad impression..."

"No!" She looked a little upset. "I did have a good reason, but..."

"Welcome, deary!" William's mother suddenly came into the entrance, shocking the both of them. "Did you need something? Food? Something to drink?"

"No, I actually ate before I got here," Judith answered. "Thank you very much for the offer."

"Well, you just let me know if you need anything," Will's mom said patting Judith on the shoulder. "I want to make sure you have a good time to make up for anything my son does."

"Mom!" William shouted.

"Just joking. I'll be in the living room." With that, his mother walked back through the hall deeper into the house.

"Sorry. My mom's always been like that," William explained. "So...about that talk?"

"Yeah, um...would you mind if we talked somewhere private?" Judith asked.

"Sure!" William sounded very eager, which he realized and chided himself internally. "Would my room be okay?"

"That would be fine."

After cleaning his room enough to make it look presentable, William let Judith in and offered her to sit on his bed. He was sure of what she wanted to talk about, but he decided to keep that to himself, just in case what she wanted to talk about was something completely different. Sitting down on his bed next to each other, there was a very odd and almost tangible silence between the two. William didn't wish to rush her, as he could tell she was trying to gather her words. Finally, Judith spoke.

"I...owe you an explanation for yesterday."

"Listen, if it was because you wanted to say no, I'm..." William started to say, but was immediately cut off.

"No!" Again, Judith was very quick to respond to the idea that she was rejecting him. "That's not it! I mean...you had to have seen it, right? I know you're trying to act like you didn't, but you were running after me, so you had to notice that I...suddenly vanished."

There it was. He knew better than to try and confront her over the event the next time they had school, so he was happy that she came to him instead. He also knew better than to keep up the ignorant act, especially when she brought it up so quickly. She definitely wanted to clear the air, and pretending like he didn't know anything wasn't going to help him.

"Yeah, it was...hard not to notice a girl's clothes laying on the floor," he said. "I couldn't leave them there either."

"I know. Thank you for putting them somewhere safe, by the way," she said, smiling. "I really appreciate it."

"It's what any decent person would do!" He cleared his throat. "But...so long as we're in the mood for telling the truth..."

"Wait. You know about it, already?" She leaned in close to him, causing him to blush slightly.

"Kind of. Last night, I had a strange visitor."

"How strange?" She asked, honestly wanting to know.

"Strange as a little girl with no clothes on," William answered. "She had to be seven or eight, at least. I was just happy no one else came into my room, or I'd be bombarded with questions."

Judith's face flushed instantly. She held her face in her hands in utter embarrassment. "Oh...so...you do know."

"Yeah, although she wasn't very informed about the whole thing. Called it a magic trick, but I know it's gotta be more complicated than that." William turned to her. "It is, right? I'm not about to get hit with the revelation that magic exists in this world, am I?"

"It is...and it isn't," Judith simply answered. 

"So what is it, exactly?"

Judith took a breath before she started to explain. "It's a condition called chrono displacement disorder. It's got something to do with the brain, and no one really understands the science behind it. There have only been a few cases that have been recorded."

"Chrono displacement," William repeated. "So, you just...lose yourself in time?"

"It's not as simple as that," she said. "I don't end up going to ancient Greece or anything like that, if that's what you were thinking. In fact, I can't control where I go."

"So...judging by the fact that I found the younger you, this isn't something that you've recently discovered, is it?"

"No," Judith answered. "I've known about this since I was four. That's about the earliest time I can remember actually traveling."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, after my parents found out about it, my mother said it explained a lot," Judith recounted. "According to her, there would be periods of time when she wouldn't hear a peep out of me, so she just assumed I was asleep in my crib. Those were the times I was traveling. She'd find me walking around the house naked moments later and thought I'd found a way to undress myself."

"So what told them that wasn't the case?"

Judith looked off into the distance, like she was recalling a story that was told many times. "It was my fourth birthday. My family gathered at a park to celebrate it, and all my aunts, uncles and cousins were there, too."

"Uh oh," William interjected. "This sounds like an embarrassing story."

"Sort of..." Judith continued. "There were presents and nice hats and nice food. At the end, they brought out a big birthday cake. I'd never seen one that big. I was so happy. But, when I went to blow out the candles..."

"That's when it happened, right?" He asked. Judith nodded. "Where did you end up going?"

"I found myself in a hallway," Judith explained. "It was night, so only a couple of lights were on. The only open door led into a room with a bunch of baby things, with a crib near the window. The moonlight was coming through the window, so I could look into the crib."

"Yeah, and what did you see?" William knew this was leading to something, so he clung on to every word.

"Nothing," she simply answered. "Nothing but a baby's pajamas laying empty inside. I wondered where the baby could have gone, when I traveled back to the park. I found myself looking at my family in grief and confusion."

"I'll bet," William commented. "Their daughter suddenly disappears in the middle of the party? It'd be one thing if she just walked off, but to physically vanish? I'd be a wreck, too!"

"It wasn't just that," Judith continued. "While that little venture had to have been...15 minutes at the most, to my folks, I was gone for two hours!"

"Two hours?! Seriously?!"

"Yes," Judith confirmed. "I remember my mother holding my dress tightly to her and sobbing. When they finally noticed me, they asked so many questions. Questions I had no answer to."

"That's...gotta suck," William could only say. "Have you been to a doctor or anything?"

"The day after, I was taken straight to a doctor. After he couldn't find anything, they called in a specialist who had been researching this for a long time. She's been the one who told me about my condition."

"Has anything been figured out about this thing?" William asked.

"Only that it has something to do with the brain," she explained. "The science is beyond me. All I know is that if I exert myself physically too much, or get overemotional, I'm prone to travel. That's how she explained it to me when I was little."

"Yeah, the little you did mention that it only happens when you're really happy or sad or angry."

"So far, the only things the doctor can do is take notes on my brain activity and I'm supposed to report to her about my traveling. From that, she's been able to figure out one thing."

"What's that?" He inquired.

"My travels are connected to memories," she answered. "Both ones I've made, and ones I have yet to make."

"Ones you have yet to make?" That part interested him.

"That's how I knew where you lived," she responded. "I had to say that just in case someone was listening or in case you didn't find my clothes yesterday. Basically, if I've been there when I'm not traveling, I will go there eventually when I do travel."

"Interesting. Better hope you don't go up north or anything. I'd hate to think what that's like, suddenly landing in the snow with no clothes on," William commented nervously.

"Yes, my parents made that decision once that part was figured out. I should hope that you and your family don't either."

"Why's that?" He asked.

"My travels have less to do with places and more to do with people close to me. Even if I've never been somewhere, if you're there, I'm likely to travel to you."

"Well, that makes sense, I..." William paused. "Wait, you said I'm one of the people close to you?"

"You haven't figured it out yet?" Judith giggled.

"You're gonna have to help me..."

Judith leaned close to him. "That night I first met you left a big impact on me. You were the first person who wasn't family to treat me well on my travels." 

"Really?"

Judith looked down and fiddled with her hands. "Until then, I've had to hide myself because I knew not everyone was nice. Mom warned me that there would be people who'd want to take me away if they saw me, so I learned how to be sneaky. How to hide."

"Wow. I didn't think about it, but that sounds really rough," William donned a sullen look.

"But, after that first time, I felt better knowing there were kind people out there."

"Hold on." William had to interrupt. "First time?"

"Oh," Judith looked surprised. "I should probably mention it now. You're gonna be running into me a lot."

"So I'm gonna have a little girl just randomly show up out of the blue that I need to take care of?" He exclaimed.

"Yes, but you're gonna do fine," she smiled. "I know you will. I'm not just saying that for your confidence. I was there, and I know you'll be kind to me. It's the reason I fell in love with you."

William's eyes opened wide. "Really?" 

"That time during freshman year when you saw me, my memories of how you cared for me just came flooding back, and I almost traveled from the emotions alone. But..." she looked particularly embarrassed. "When you treated me like we had never met, it was all I could do to remind myself that you hadn't run into me yet."

"Oh...I'm so sorry," William felt the need to apologize.

"It's not your fault," she immediately responded. "You didn't know. So I had to wait until that time. And then...you confessed to me. The whole time, I was waiting for the day when I could tell you that I was the girl you were constantly running into, to think you had fallen for me on your own..."

"Heh," William chuckled. "Funny how things work out that way, huh?"

"I was so happy. That's why I ran off. I felt that same pull I always do when I'm about to disappear. I didn't want to scare you and risk undoing all those years I lived knowing you..." Judith gripped her shirt near her heart.

"I can imagine that the idea scared you a lot," he said, Judith answering with a nod. "Well, lucky for you, I'm the kind who's cautiously curious at the bizarre rather than just outright scared."

"I know that," she replied. "I just wasn't sure if that was because of our first meeting or because you were like that from the beginning. Time travel has a way of messing up your perception like that."

"Well, now you for sure, right?"

"Yes, I do," Judith smiled. "So..."

"So..." It was clear there was something on both of their minds. Quite a bit of information had just been released.

"Knowing all this now...would you be willing to stay with me?" Judith started. "If it seems like too much..."

"Stop."

"Huh?"

William knelt in front of her and faced Judith with not a single hint of apprehension. "If you already know that I take care of you when you travel to me from the past, then that already cements it, doesn't it?"

"That doesn't mean a whole lot," Judith responded. "You could've done that because you felt bad for the younger me."

"Then if it's an answer you want...then I would be happy to be your boyfriend." Judith's eyes light up, and William knew he responded well. She jumped into his arms, knocking him down on his back. As soon as he recovered, he tried to hug her, only to find her clothes splayed across him. 

"Uh oh..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small announcement: If you've been reading my stories up to today (April 25th of 2014), then I need to let you know that I'll be completely changing the second chapter of Phillip's and Abigail's story, as I feel I had them meet for real too soon. Stay tuned for the new version, which I'll likely do before uploading a new chapter. Thanks in advance for your understanding.


End file.
